Category Archives: Forest Fires

Alberta

12 homes were evacuated yesterday when the wind direction changed for the Bonneyville fire. Bonnyville declared a local state of emergency on Tuesday, which allows officials to call in the RCMP to secure roads and homes, if necessary. The Bonneyville fire grew to about 800 ha yesterday.

The fire near Grassland is still out of control and measures about 1,000 ha.

The fire near Lodgepole is currently being held.

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Alberta’s fire crews are battling 3 out of control wildfires today.

“Once again, we are reminded of the devastating impact of wildfires on Alberta’s communities. Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected, and we are thankful for the hard work of those currently fighting these wildfires. The Government of Alberta will continue to update relevant information as soon as it is available. Many areas of Northern Alberta are still at extreme risk for wildfire – this is a reminder for everyone to be alert, respect fire bans, and be smart and careful when enjoying Alberta’s forests.”

~ Diana McQueen, Alberta’s Minister of Environment and Sustainable Resource Development

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A quick check on the start of the forest fire season.

19,260 fires have been recorded in Canada so far in 2012, burning 161,169 hectares.

British Columbia

Starting on Tuesday, the Kamloops Fire Centre in British Columbia will be restricting the size of open fires to prevent human caused wildfires.  The Kamloops Fire Centre crews have already responded to wildfire incidents covering approximately 300 hectares since April 1st. (read more)

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The Government of Ontario is building a new flight training centre for water bomber aircraft in Sault Ste. Marie.

The 6,700-square-foot (622-square-metre) facility will be the first of its kind in Ontario. It will hold a state-of-the-art flight training device that will simulate the sights, sounds and motions of the CL-415 water bomber aircraft used to fight forest fires in the province.

The building’s steel structure will be erected this summer and the flight training device will be installed in the fall. The facility is scheduled for completion by the 2013 fire season.

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Ontario Minister of Natural Resources, Michael Gravelle, acknowledged the start of Ontario’s forest fire season by touring the Northwest Region Forest Fighting Management Centre in Dryden today.

“Ontario has a skilled and dedicated team of emergency management staff ready to work tirelessly to protect the forests of this beautiful province and the people who live in or near them. I urge everyone who is going to use outdoor fires over the next seven months to manage them with the utmost care.”

– Michael Gravelle, Ontario Minister of Natural Resources

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The British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations is planning a prescribed burn in the Gilpin Creek and Morrissey Creek areas later this month. An information session about the project will be held on April 12.

The 25-hectare prescribed burn is part of the provincial government’s strategy to restore and maintain forest and range ecosystems. This controlled burn will help re-establish appropriate ecological conditions, maintain winter range forage for grazing animals and reduce forest fuel loads.

The prescribed burn will take place about five kilometres east of Grand Forks. Smoke and flames may be visible from locations in Grand Forks and along Highway 3.

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Effective Monday, April 2, 2012, at 12 noon, the size of open fires will be restricted within the Cariboo Fire Centre in British Columbia to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect the public.

Specifically, this will prohibit:

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New capital funding announced as part of British Columbia’s Budget 2012-13 will allow an expanded zone office and new provincial wildfire training centre to be built in Merritt.

The construction project will improve the Wildfire Management Branch’s fire suppression and monitoring capabilities within the Merritt Fire Zone, one of the largest fire suppression zones in the province.

The provincial training centre offers crucial hands-on training and assessment of firefighting recruits. The new facility will include classrooms and allow recruits to develop their skills in conditions similar to those encountered in the field. The zone office will also be used as a strategic operations base for out-of-province personnel during extreme wildfire seasons.

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The fire at Tolko‘s mill in Kelowna, British Columbia on Saturday has caused an estimated $30,000 damage.

An exact cause of the fire has not been determined.

Platoon Captain Henry Roelofs says there was a lot of sawdust and boilers that could have sparked the blaze.

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2011 was a busy fire season for Ontario.

Ontario experienced 1,330 fires affecting 632,533 hectares.

Much of the area burned in Ontario in 2011 was due to a handful of very large fires. In fact, 2011 saw the largest fire recorded in Ontario history—Sioux Lookout 70 at 141,000 hectares. Another fire, Sioux Lookout 35, reached 112,000 hectares to become the eighth-largest fire on record. These two fires alone accounted for approximately 40 per cent of the total area burned. This is the first time since 1980 that Ontario has had two individual fires of greater than 100,000 hectares in the same season.

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