The City of Grande Prairie Fire Department is asking residents to be mindful of their sparks ahead of the 2024 wildfire season.
Wildfire prevention has been a significant topic of discussion across the province as temperatures begin to rise ahead of the spring, and the County of Grande Prairie has already begun wildfire mitigation efforts around the municipality.
On the city side, Grande Prairie Fire Marshal Chris Renyk says he anticipates another hot summer for residents, and he is encouraging the public to prepare for another major wildfire season.
“We’ll be no stranger to this,” he says. “We didn’t get a lot of snowfall here and it’s all melting off, so we’re going to have a very significant wildfire season.”
The county has already established numerous firebreaks in Dunes West and in the southeast, and Renyk says further measures should be expected.
“I anticipate fire bans from the province and the county as well as the municipality so we ask even more strenuous diligence on behalf of the population to take on that responsibility.”
Fire bans were lifted for the Grande Prairie area in November, and fire permit requirements will not be required at the provincial level until March 1st.
