Smoke from distant wildfires settles over Cypress County fields outside Medicine Hat. To help prevent any fires closer to home, the county has issued a sweeping fire ban.--News Photo Anna Smith
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
As of noon on Wednesday, Cypress County has entered a fire ban.
The decision was made in response to hot, dry weather, both recent and scheduled for the foreseeable future, says Cypress County emergency services co-ordinator and fire chief Jason Linton.
“The grass has cured incredibly quickly,” said Linton. “With the heat and the fire danger data we’re getting from the index map, it was the safest decision.”
With current conditions, any accidental fires could spread very quickly, prompting the county to limit what kinds of fires can be safely used within the area. Currently, only recreational fires within the limits of the county’s hamlets are permitted. Burn barrels and recreational fires outside hamlet limits, which were allowed under the fire restriction, are prohibited.
“We’re supposed to get a little bit of moisture Thursday, but that’s going to buy us a day or two, then we’ll be right back into the same conditions. So we have to have significant moisture before we downgrade,” said Linton. “We’re seeing dry weather in the mid 20s to low 30s (Celsius) in the next two weeks, which is a fire risk.”
Linton reminds residents not to flick cigarette butts into grass, to ensure any vehicles on the highway are in good repair, and to check that any towed trailers or campers do not have the chain dragging on the pavement, as this can send off sparks which can cause grass fires.
Even within hamlet boundaries, the county asks that residents do not start any fires they are not certain they can completely put out.
“Lots of ranches are starting to cut hay, so make sure, if you do any kind of agricultural operations, to have a water supply or water source close by,” said Linton.
Cypress County Fire gets its data to make these calls from Alberta Wildfire, says Linton, and those interested can download the Alberta Wildfire app to keep informed on current fire risk.
