A Westlock County-wide fire restriction now means anyone using burn barrels, fireworks, or setting backcountry fires could face steep fines.
The restriction, imposed April 6, was brought on by dryer-than-normal conditions. In addition, permits will no longer be issued for open burning, or fireworks and any current permits are now invalid
Residents are still permitted to burn at municipal campgrounds within designated pits.
Backyard fire pits contained in mesh and a minimum of three metres from any building, property line or combustible material are still allowed so long as water and extinguishing equipment are at hand and ready.
The area has already at least two major fires since the ban began Wednesday, one at a quonset on Highway 44 north and another at a residence east of Vimy.
The fire east of Vimy consumed nearly 16 hectares of grassland and, luckily, was extinguished before any homes were destroyed.
Westlock Rural Fire Department chief John Biro said it likely won’t be the last one they encounter this fire season.
“It doesn’t take many ignition factors to light the grass every spring. A lot of the fires are wind driven,” he said.
“Throughout the fall, the vegetation that has grown throughout the summer dies off. Once the snow melts that dead grass is exposed and can be extremely volatile.”
Field fires, he explained, can turn deadly in an instant, travelling through grass faster than a person can run.
The best thing residents can do to fight fires, he said, is to prevent them before they start.
“People in rural areas can use cultivators or tilling to put a perimeter of black soil around their property so that if there are any ditch fires, it won’t exit the properties,” he said.
“It’s a containment ring.”
Perimeters can also be placed around any vulnerable outbuildings or homes. Twelve feet of black soil can be an effective barrier, though it’s common for burning particles to float much further than that.
“We’ve had fires jump rivers. We’ve had fires jump highways, but it definitely helps firefighters protect homes when we arrive on scene. It’s safety for us, too, because we can use that zone as a shelter or a secure line if a fire starts,” he said.
Westlock rural is also performing controlled burns around the county, to help get rid of tinder and dry grass, one of the best preventative measures available to firefighters.
“We typically try to get out in the spring whenever possible,” Biro added. “We don’t want to start something that we can’t put out and we don’t want to be too busy with fire reduction because we have to be available in case the real thing turns up.
“If residents can just shorten their vegetation and trim branches so they’re three to four feet off the ground, they can very effectively prevent fire from spreading.”
