Record-setting temperatures in Alberta prompt warnings about wildfire danger
Global News
This week's record-setting temperatures in southern Alberta, combined with strong winds, a recent lack of precipitation and dry conditions, mean a growing danger of wildfires.
Wildfires in winter in Alberta? It may sound like a fantasy, but record-breaking temperatures in some parts of the province in recent days have turned it into a reality this year.
According to Alberta Wildfire, there have already been five wildfires in the province in 2026.
The latest, a fire near the headwaters of the Panther River, about 150 kilometres northwest of Calgary, broke out on Wednesday and has burned an area of about three square kilometres.
Initially listed as “out of control,” on Thursday officials with Alberta Wildfire told Global News it was “being held.”
The Rocky Mountain House Forest Area, where the fire is burning, also issued a warning that, although there is significant snowfall in some areas, others are dealing with exposed dead and dry vegetation that, combined with “warm temperatures, winds and dry vegetation, create ideal conditions for wildfires to ignite and spread.”
Similar warnings have also been issued in several other areas of the province.
On Wednesday, Rocky View County, located just outside the city of Calgary, issued a ban on any open fires and suspended any burning permits that had previously been issued.
The nearby Calgary Forest District, which doesn’t include the city itself, also issued a fire advisory, urging residents to “consider delaying burning projects until conditions improve.”
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