Scott Hayes | [email protected]
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The province鈥檚 already bad wildfire season continues to worsen.
A provincial state of emergency has been declared and Canadian Armed Forces members and army reserve soldiers have been deployed in various areas to assist in the firefighting efforts.
Tuesday saw rampant wildfire smoke cover the province, making visibility on many roads treacherous and turning air quality poor.
鈥淢any Albertans woke up this morning to smoke in the air, which is a constant reminder of the intensity of this wildfire season,鈥� said Christie Tucker, Alberta Wildfire's information unit manager, during the province鈥檚 daily wildfire update.
鈥淪moke has actually offered some help to create cooler conditions in some areas, and so far today our wildfires have been slightly less active than anticipated.鈥�
Jasper鈥檚 two sensors showed the 10 minute average of PM2.5 (airborne particulate matter sized 2.5 microns or less in width) was 280 by noon. By mid-afternoon, it was at 339, increasing the health risk for everyone with 24 hours of exposure, a level that equates to emergency conditions.
Environment and Climate Change Canada issued a special air quality statement that observed conditions of very high risk for some parts of the province and forecasted maximums of very high risk for others, a list that included Edson and Hinton.
鈥淪moke is causing or expected to cause poor air quality and reduced visibility. Wildfire smoke can be harmful to everyone鈥檚 health even at low concentrations,鈥� , which noted that air quality conditions were expected to improve on Wednesday.
According to the , there were 88 active wildfires including 11 in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta that day. Of those, 26 were out of control, and four of those were in the Edson Forest Area.听
The wildfire danger is extreme, and so there is a fire ban and off-highway vehicle (OHV) restriction in effect for the Forest Protection Area of Alberta, including the Edson Forest Area. The public is also advised to not fly drones in areas of active wildfire as it endangers firefighters and public alike. Drones force helicopter bucketing crews to land in order for the airspace to clear up.
The Edson Forest Area Wildfire Update on Tuesday at noon stated that the forecast called for temperatures in the mid-to-high 20s with winds at times gusty, and low relative humidity for the next few days.听
These conditions continue to pose 鈥渁 significant threat to many communities,鈥� said Colin Blair, executive director of the Alberta Emergency Management Agency during the Tuesday update.
鈥淭hese conditions are likely to cause elevated wildfire danger and same or increased wildfire behaviour that we've experienced in the past few days, which will be challenging to wildfire operations within the Edson Forest Area,鈥� 听
So far this year, nearly 616,000 hectares have burned across Alberta.
The dashboard also indicated that 17 fires were human-caused with another 59 still under investigation, including EWF031. It is still classified as out of control at 82,666 hectares. That wildfire is one of four that comprise what is considered the , which had 121 firefighters (along with heavy equipment) and 11 helicopters assigned to battle it.
On Monday, Valleyview became the newest of
Officials say that this is still early in Alberta鈥檚 wildfire season, so all residents of the province should be prepared听
Fire restrictions and bans are in place across much of the province. Last week, Jasper National Park and the Municipality of Jasper throughout the park and the townsite.
