Fires!

[flydude]

As of today this is what the Alberta Wildfire Status Dashboard is indicating as causes of the 409 fires year to date:

Human 194
Lightning 13
Under Investigation 202

https://www.arcgis.com/apps/dashboar...b0cf8b636defa3

[Stinky Buffalo]

Originally Posted by dylan15

just want to throw a shout out and thank you to all the firefighters that are mobilizing from all over the province, as well as across the country, to do what many of us can't. It's times like this where people stick together that remind us we cannot do everything on out own. Much appreciation from me and my family, coming from a corner of the province that hasn't seen smoke yet. Not easy to leave families, work, and daily life to serve and protect, yet these heroes are out there for each of us.

100%!

[flydude]

Below is some rough data I gathered from the 2006-2018 wildfire data. Numbers may be a bit out due to using excel find&select function to determine quantities:

https://open.alberta.ca/opendata/wil...data-2006-2018

Of the 19844 fires in the historical database:

General causes:
7062 were started by lightning
4598 were started by those involved in recreation (campers/hikers)
3518 were started by residents
1623 were started by an Incendiary Device
559 were undetermined
The remainder appear to be primarily industry related

Locations:
14281 were started on provincial land
2687 were started on private land
2504 were started on indian reservations
200 were started in provincial parks
126 were started on metis settlements
83 were started by DND

[flydude]

Activity Classes:

16 welders
18 pipelines
19 ammunition
22 smoking
43 windrows
55 rail transportation
67 heavy equipment
67 traditional burning
81 structure fire
126 flaring gas
137 all terrain vehicles
143 OHV operation
149 vehicles
200 transportation
207 brush
292 children
322 arson
417 power lines
461 lighting fires
601 grass
602 piles
604 refuse disposal
678 operations
1096 unclassified
1224 debris disposal
4316 cooking or cooking and warming
Remaining 7722 do not have an associated activity class indicated but the general causes are primarily lightning.

[walking buffalo]

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

Grizz, sorry disagree, We have No! lightning now which normally cause majority of fires. Most responsible people will not use burn barrels, camp fires etc when 108 fires burning in province. 100 cigarette butts per mile out the window on Alberta roads is alot of ignition sources.
I rest my case.

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

Simple explanation why so many fires started this year near our Foothill towns. The roads around high population towns like Drayton, Edson, Fox Creek, Whitecourt have higher concentrations of people and Smokers. Thus more butts going into the very dry grass near these towns starting the fires.
I rest my case!

Maybe focus less on butts and more on what "I rest my case" actually means.
We'll all be better off if you do.

[Phil McCracken]

Originally Posted by Dylan15

Just want to throw a shout out and thank you to all the firefighters that are mobilizing from all over the province, as well as across the country, to do what many of us can't. It's times like this where people stick together that remind us we cannot do everything on out own. Much appreciation from me and my family, coming from a corner of the province that hasn't seen smoke yet. Not easy to leave families, work, and daily life to serve and protect, yet these heroes are out there for each of us.

TYVM sir and I agree 100%!...

Originally Posted by walking buffalo

Maybe focus less on butts and more on what "I rest my case" actually means.
We'll all be better off if you do.

Someone gets it...than you sir...

[Tommy]

Originally Posted by Dylan15

Just want to throw a shout out and thank you to all the firefighters that are mobilizing from all over the province, as well as across the country, to do what many of us can't. It's times like this where people stick together that remind us we cannot do everything on out own. Much appreciation from me and my family, coming from a corner of the province that hasn't seen smoke yet. Not easy to leave families, work, and daily life to serve and protect, yet these heroes are out there for each of us.

10 X , Very good post.

Tommy

[IronNoggin]

New B.C. wildfire regulations aim to prevent human-caused fires​

Changes to the B.C. Wildfire Regulation are aimed at clarifying “high-risk activities” and to help prevent human-caused wildfires.

The amendments to the B.C. Wildfire Regulation, under the Wildfire Act, were approved by the provincial government on April 24. The regulation applies throughout B.C., unless otherwise indicated in the legislation.

https://www.todayinbc.com/news/new-b...-caused-fires/

[Smoky buck]

From what I hear all those fighting fires are doing a good job

But someone do a rain dance I am bored and just want to go home now

[Tommy]

Originally Posted by Smoky buck

From what I hear all those fighting fires are doing a good job

But someone do a rain dance I am bored and just want to go home now

I'll get my moccasins out and see what I can do Smoky.

Tommy

[270person]

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

Simple explanation why so many fires started this year near our Foothill towns. The roads around high population towns like Drayton, Edson, Fox Creek, Whitecourt have higher concentrations of people and Smokers. Thus more butts going into the very dry grass near these towns starting the fires. I rest my case!

I can respect a guy that'll go down fighting even when he's dead wrong. Is that a J.I. Case you're resting in the shop?

[Bushleague]

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

Grizz, sorry disagree, We have No! lightning now which normally cause majority of fires. Most responsible people will not use burn barrels, camp fires etc when 108 fires burning in province. 100 cigarette butts per mile out the window on Alberta roads is alot of ignition sources. I rest my case.

I was watching lightning flash around Slave Lake the night before the Swan Hills fires started. A couple years back a co-worker and I were working on the roof of one of the mills by Mitsue Lake, and got to witness fist hand a bolt of lightning come out of a clear blue sky and light start a fire on the Old Smith hwy.

Too, strong eastern winds seem to bring down more tree's on the powerlines. We've had alot of bad fires start up on an east wind. I've heard the theory that the trees have their roots braced more for support against the prevailing west winds, sounds reasonable.

That said, the same week that Slave Lake burned down, I know for a fact that 3 fires were started north of town by cigarettes throw from vehicles, and to me the number of fires attributed to cigarettes sounds unrealistically low. If Flyguy's stats are presumed correct, then I personally saw over 10% of the fires started by cigarettes between 2006 and 2018... IN JUST 2011.

[Bushleague]

Originally Posted by fishnguy

Could be, who knows. I haven’t been here long enough to make a judgement, but I talked to a few people today about it and all said they have never seen anything like this around here. One guy is in his 80’s (could be old and memory isn’t what it used to be). One said he’ll be done seeding in a few days. That’s pretty crazy. In the time I have been here, this is definitely the warmest and driest that I have experienced this time of year, no question about it.

I think its the most dry I've seen the province this early in the year, but I have defiantly seen it this dry before, and have never seen fires starting like this. Heck, I can remember some seriously dry springs where NO major wildfires were started... and yes Grey Wolf, the oilpatch was moving at that time too.

[ram crazy]

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

Grizz, sorry disagree, We have No! lightning now which normally cause majority of fires. Most responsible people will not use burn barrels, camp fires etc when 108 fires burning in province. 100 cigarette butts per mile out the window on Alberta roads is alot of ignition sources. I rest my case.

We’ve had lightning sticks here for the last 2 nights.

[58thecat]

We need rain but not enough to cause flooding.....Nature is such a delicate balance.

[makin tracks]

Originally Posted by 270person

I can respect a guy that'll go down fighting even when he's dead wrong. Is that a J.I. Case you're resting in the shop?

so what you are saying is that a lit cigarette thrown out the window, is not an ignition source and cannot start a fire? i read it takes only one! there are lots of ways to start a fire with a lit cigarette. may have been very few started by smokers, but 50% of fires are considered suspicious, could be caused from power lines, trains, atv's, trucks, cars water bottles and more than a few were intentionally lit. time best spent on putting fires out than arguing over cigarette butts?

[makin tracks]

Originally Posted by Smoky buck

From what I hear all those fighting fires are doing a good job

But someone do a rain dance I am bored and just want to go home now

i agree, if only the rain would fall where it is sorely needed!

[makin tracks]

Originally Posted by 58thecat

We need rain but not enough to cause flooding.....Nature is such a delicate balance.

very true, hope they get these fires out soon!

[DirtShooter]

New fire West of Devon now

[Grizzly Adams1]

Originally Posted by 58thecat

We need rain but not enough to cause flooding.....Nature is such a delicate balance.

Buddy keeps telling me we get most of our rain in June, one can only hope.

Grizz

[Glion]

Originally Posted by DirtShooter

New fire West of Devon now

On a ranch, so far just grass and hasn't hit the trees yet. Hope it doesnt jump the river.

[Big Grey Wolf]

Lets examine the facts. Typical 100 butts per mile shucked out windows by smokers. If number is correct, it takes 1000 butts on average to start a forest fire, thus we should have potential of 1 fire ever 10 miles on every road in Alberta. No wonder Alberta is burning!
Guys please put your butts into your empty beer can when you do not have an ashtray.

[crazy_davey]

Please BGW, come back down to reality.

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

Lets examine the facts. Typical 100 butts per mile shucked out windows by smokers. If number is correct, it takes 1000 butts on average to start a forest fire, thus we should have potential of 1 fire ever 10 miles on every road in Alberta. No wonder Alberta is burning!
Guys please put your butts into your empty beer can when you do not have an ashtray.

Go research past ignition sources of wildfires in Canada and get back to us OK

When you have this information come back and discuss it

[Twisted Canuck]

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

Lets examine the facts. Typical 100 butts per mile shucked out windows by smokers. If number is correct, it takes 1000 butts on average to start a forest fire, thus we should have potential of 1 fire ever 10 miles on every road in Alberta. No wonder Alberta is burning!
Guys please put your butts into your empty beer can when you do not have an ashtray.

Everyone has heard what you have had to say, over and over. You are well into derail territory now. Give it a rest.

[ram crazy]

As of this past week in the far south of Alberta we still had snow on the back sides of hills and coulees. Every dugout and low spot is full of water, finally after two years of drought. I hope you folks in the north can get lots of rain in the near future!

[fishnguy]

Originally Posted by ram crazy

I hope you folks in the north can get lots of rain in the near future!

It’s not looking good in that department at the moment:



This is July-ish weather.

[Bigwoodsman]

Originally Posted by DirtShooter

New fire West of Devon now

We were watching the smoke from this fire from Riverside RV park. PLFD Wwere here with a crew and pumpers watching for it to cross the river. Lots of activity helicopters sirens.

We were fortunate that they got it under control.

Today there’s been a few helicopters. This wind could bugger off though!

BW

[Glion]

Originally Posted by Bigwoodsman

We were watching the smoke from this fire from Riverside RV park. PLFD Wwere here with a crew and pumpers watching for it to cross the river. Lots of activity helicopters sirens.

We were fortunate that they got it under control.

Today there’s been a few helicopters. This wind could bugger off though!

BW

It was very very close to becoming very bad. It was in the conjouring creek ravine and they managed to stop it just before the spruce trees. Fire lady that was there said if it hit the spruce trees it was probably jumping the river.

[Penner]

Man do we need some rain. We all best start dancing. She’s tinder dry and then some.