A scorched forest in Shining Bank, Alta., after a wildfire burned out.
The province’s legislated wildfire season ended on Tuesday after fires burned at least 2,214,957 hectares of land - more than ten times the previous five-year average.Wildfires in Alberta burned 2,214,957 hectares during the 2023 legislated wildfire season. The previous five-year average was 190,000 hectares burned. Alberta's 2023 wildfire season saw thousands of people fleeing their homes with only pets and packed bags, and hundreds of hazy-smoke hours in the city of Calgary.
"Our province faced an unprecedented challenge this past wildfire season," said Todd Loewen, Minister of Forestry and Parks in a statement on Friday. More than 38,000 Albertans were evacuated from their homes and 48 communities were affected by this year's wildfires, according to the Alberta government.
Over the winter months, Forsythe said Alberta Wildfire crews will repair and replace the run-down water pumps and hoses used this season.The operations team will assess the effectiveness of strategies and new technologies deployed this year, like night vision helicopters and drones able to detect hot spots on the landscape, Forsythe added.
Yukon wildfire crews seen preparing their trucks before battling the Pembina wildfire complex in west-central Alberta this summer. "There's a saying out there that goes, 'Don't ever let a disaster go to waste,'" said President Ken McMullen, who also works as Red Deer's chief of emergency services.
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