Controlled burns start in Fort Mcmurray as wildfire season begins

Wood Buffalo Regional Emergency Services (RES) will begin controlled burns across Fort Mcmurray as wildfire season begins.

Neighbourhoods that are being prioritized for burns include Eagle Ridge, Parsons North, Taiga Nova and Thickwood. When these burns happen will depend on weather, but the burns are expected to be finished by the end of May.

Signs will be placed in nearby neighbourhoods warning of the controlled burns. Anyone living nearby should keep their windows and doors shut when the burns are happening.

Controlled burns are designed to shield neighbourhoods from forest fires, which are inevitable in the boreal forest. The conditions for wildfires — dry and dead vegetation, and heat — are common. At some point lightning or humans can provide the sparks for a fire.

“The controlled burns carried out each spring remove dead and dry surface fuels that accumulate over the winter months,” reads a statement from the RMWB. “Burn abatement is an important step in helping to reduce wildfire risk in the region.”

There were 113 forest fires within the municipality that burned 40,576 hectares of land last year. Roughly 76 per cent of land burned by wildfires in Alberta in 2021 was in the Fort Mcmurray Wood Buffalo region. Across Alberta, 1,308 wildfires burned 52,955 hectares last year — or 529 square kilometres — and 67 per cent were caused by people. Outdoor recreational activities, such as camping or off-highway vehicles, was the leading cause of human-caused wildfires.

The Fort Mcmurray Wood Buffalo area saw the most land burned, Slave Lake followed with 6,302 hectares from 165 fires. The Edson area reported the most wildfires, with 172 fires burning 830 hectares.