Alberta Wildfire officials say they are preparing to be ready for 'the worst that can happen' ahead of this year’s wildfire season, following last year’s record-breaking result.
The 2023 wildfire season was record-breaking in Alberta and after a mild winter, officials are preparing for the worst going into the spring of 2024. As Lisa MacGregor reports, Alberta Wildfire and communities have taken away lessons from last year that is helping them be better prepared.officials say they are preparing to be ready for “the worst that can happen” ahead of this year’s wildfire season, following last year’s record-breaking result.
“Probably the number one thing is having those resources ready and trained and in place for the beginning of the fire season,” said Cory Davis, manager of wildfire predictive services with Alberta Wildfire.So far this year, 40 wildfires have sparked in Alberta burning about 300 hectares. As of this time last year, there were 14 wildfires that burned about three hectares of land.
He said even if Alberta receives 100 per cent of the normal amount of precipitation it usually does from the end of February to the beginning of April, parts of the province will still have very high to extreme drought conditions come April. Last season was brutal for the county, which was the subject of several evacuations due to out-of-control wildfires that got too close for comfort.