Very-High

County of Grande Prairie Regional Fire Issues Fire Ban (16:00 JULY 10, 2024)

The County of Grande Prairie Regional Fire Service has issued a fire ban effective at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 10, for the entire County, along with the towns of Beaverlodge, Sexsmith and Wembley.

The County’s fire ban is due to recent hot and dry conditions and aligns with the Alberta Forestry Fire Ban issued today for the entire Forest Protected Area of Alberta. The current fire hazard is extreme.

Existing burning permits are revoked, and no new fire permits will be issued until the ban is lifted. All fires currently burning must be extinguished immediately. Some allowances can be made for essential agricultural and industrial burning, if approved by a forest officer.

Under the ban, all outdoor fires are prohibited, including:

Recreational fire pits, fires using charcoal briquettes, and any fires in County-operated parks and campgrounds.

- Open pit burning
- Burning barrels
- Burning of refuse
- Brush piles and crop stubble
- Fireworks

The use of propane appliances, such as barbecues, is permitted.

For industry, open pit flaring is suspended.

The fire ban will remain in effect until conditions improve. Read more about the current fire ban status at www.countygp.ab.ca/fireban. View all current fire restrictions and bans in place across the province at www.albertafirebans.ca.

Stay informed and prepared by signing up for Voyent Alert, the multi-purpose communication service provided by the County of Grande Prairie. Receive critical alerts like fires or floods, as well as day-to-day communications. Don't wait for emergencies to strike; register today. Download the Voyent Alert! app on your iOS or Android device, or register for email, SMS, or phone alerts at https://register.voyent-alert.com. Learn more at www.countygp.ab.ca/alerts.  

Fire Hazard Levels

Depending on the conditions, the County of Grande Prairie uses the following tiered system to temporarily limit activities that may lead to wildfires. Fire advisories, restrictions or bans can reduce human-cause wildfires.

Fire Ban	A fire ban prohibits wood campfires on public land, campgrounds, and private land including backyard fire pits. Fire permits will be suspended or cancelled, and no new permits will be issued.

Fire Ban

A fire ban prohibits wood campfires on public land, campgrounds, and private land including backyard fire pits. Fire permits will be suspended or cancelled, and no new permits will be issued.

Fire Restriction	A fire restriction prohibits the use of wood campfires on public land but does allow wood campfires inside provincial campgrounds and private property. Fire permits may be restricted, suspended, or cancelled and no new fire permits will be issued.

Fire Restriction

A fire restriction prohibits the use of wood campfires on public land but does allow wood campfires inside provincial campgrounds and private property. Fire permits may be restricted, suspended, or cancelled and no new fire permits will be issued.

Fire Advisory	A fire advisory is issued if the fire danger rating has increased. Fire permits may be restricted. Safe campfires are allowed in campgrounds and backcountry or random camping areas, but this level is a warning they may be restricted if the situation doesn't improve.

Fire Advisory

A fire advisory is issued if the fire danger rating has increased. Fire permits may be restricted. Safe campfires are allowed in campgrounds and backcountry or random camping areas, but this level is a warning they may be restricted if the situation doesn't improve.

No Restriction	Normal burning rules apply.

No Restriction

Normal burning rules apply.

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Grande Prairie Forest Area Update

Grande Prairie Forest Area Wildfire Update - July 14, 2024

Posted on Sat, Jul 13, 2024

The wildfire danger in the Grande Prairie Forest Area is VERY HIGH to EXTREME.

(GWF041 - Lightning caused wildfire detected by our fire lookout person, is now extinguished)

Wildfire Information

Since January 1, 2024, 42 wildfires have been reported in the Grande Prairie Forest Area burning nearly 181.90 hectares.

2023 carryover wildfires

There is currently one carryover fire from the 2023 wildfire season. GWF-018 2023 is listed as under control. Areas of this wildfire have remaining hotspots and are being monitored by firefighters.

A fire ban is in effect for the entire Forest Protection Area of Alberta, including the Grande Prairie Forest Area, due to hot and dry conditions.

Cities, towns, villages and summer villages, as well as federal lands (such as national parks), are exempt from this ban. These jurisdictions have the authority to issue their own bans and may have complementary bans in place.

Visit Alberta Fire Bans to see if a fire ban or restriction is in place in your area.

Under this fire ban:

All fire permits are suspended or cancelled.

No new fire permits will be issued.

Some allowances can be made for essential agricultural and industrial burning, if approved by a forest officer.

Prohibited:

All outdoor wood fires, including wood campfires on public land, private land, designated campgrounds, and backyard firepits.

Barbeque charcoal briquettes.

Fireworks and exploding targets.

Allowed:

Propane/ natural gas-powered appliances.

Indoor wood fires inside a structure (such as a facility, building, tent or RV) and contained within a device with a chimney and spark arrestor.

Open flame oil devices (such as deep fryers and tiki torches). All devices must be CSA approved and used per manufacturer’s standards.

The fire ban will remain in effect until conditions improve.

Smoke

Firesmoke.ca is an online tool that tracks wildfire smoke. Visit this site to view where the smoke is coming from and how long it is expected to linger. If you have health related concerns, please call Health Link at 811.

The last minute checklist is a resource that informs residents of some key steps they can take to prepare for a wildfire emergency. After you’ve prepared your grab-and-go bag, start completing some items on this checklist to increase the resilience of your home in the IMMEDIATE ZONE.

Download the checklist: FireSmart fact sheet: Last Minute checklists

When wildfire danger is low to moderate, updates will be issued weekly. However, when the danger escalates to high or extreme levels, updates will be provided daily if fires are active and/ or out of control.

Expect your next wildfire update on July 15, 2024, unless conditions change.

Kelly Burke | Wildfire Information Officer

(780) 832-7235

kelly.burke@gov.ab.ca

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