MD OF BIGHORN – A wildfire is burning near Ghost River in the MD of Bighorn, just east of the Banff National Park boundary.
As of about 3 p.m. on Thursday (May 30), the six-hectare wildfire was classified as being held. It was detected by Alberta Wildfire lookout observers around 5 a.m. Thursday and initially registered as out of control at four hectares.
“The fire is currently just over six hectares, so it did grow a little bit but it is being held so we don’t expect any issues with it,” said Alberta Wildfire provincial information officer Melissa Story. “The wind is going to contribute to the fire behaviour but we’ve got it in hand right now.”
Alberta Wildfire is actioning the fire with 20 wildland firefighters and helicopter support. There is also a water truck on site to support suppression.
“Residents and visitors may see smoke in the area along the Ghost River,” states a news release from the MD of Bighorn, noting Bighorn Emergency Services was also initially on scene for assistance.
The cause of the blaze is under investigation and there is no threat to nearby communities or infrastructure.
An Alberta Wildfire update for the Calgary Forest Area (CFA) noted the burn area is primarily comprised of fine fuels such as slash and cured grass.
The CFA has recorded 38 fires, burning a total of 11.57 hectares since Jan. 1, with all of those being extinguished except two. Another small fire was detected Thursday morning burning near Fisher Creek in Kananaskis Country. That is categorized as under control and the cause is under investigation.
“That fire is .01 of a hectare, so it’s a very small one. We’re not anticipating any issues with it and we will continue patrolling it until we can classify it as extinguished,” said Story.
Overall wildfire danger in the CFA – extending from as far south as west of Pincher Creek up to east of the Banff National Park boundary – is listed as moderate, with some areas having high wildfire risk.
“A break in precipitation along with some warmer, windy days has helped to drive up the overall wildfire danger,” states an Alberta Wildfire update. “Although the forecast is calling for the possibility of some light precipitation in the short term, conditions look mostly stable through the coming week which will lead to a continual climb in the wildfire danger.”
As of Friday (May 31) at 1 p.m., there were 28 active wildfires in the province. Twenty-four are listed as under control and four are being held. Alberta Wildfire is also providing assistance to five mutual aid wildfires outside of its Forest Protection Area, with one of those being out of control and the others classified as under control.
There have been 386 wildfires in the province since the start of the year, burning a total of 27,985 hectares.
The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada. The position covers Îyârhe (Stoney) Nakoda First Nation and Kananaskis Country.
