Most new fires reported in Calgary Forest Area: Alberta Wildfire
CTV
Wildfire officials keeping an eye on Alberta's forests say there's been an alarming rise in the number of human-caused fires, with most of them found in the Calgary Forest Area over the long weekend.
Wildfire officials keeping an eye on Alberta's forests say there's been an alarming rise in the number of human-caused fires, with most of them found in the Calgary Forest Area over the long weekend.
In an update on Thursday, officials say 33 new fires were recorded in Alberta between Friday and Monday.
Christie Tucker, information unit manager with Alberta Wildfire, says 26 of those were human-caused and all but one were in the Calgary Forest Area.
"Obviously, Calgary and around Calgary is a popular place for people to go on the long weekend and there are a number of popular random camping sites – our staff know those areas well and that's part of their long weekend routine.
"There were more than 1,700 interactions with Albertans in the Calgary Forest Area."
Tucker says that work has to do with outreach and education about wildfires.
"Our staff also had hundreds of positive interactions with people who were out and about over the weekend. Our patrols visited popular recreation areas and random camping sites to share wildfire information and answer questions," said Tucker.
