In accordance with Athabasca County Fire Services Bylaw 015-2023 section 8, a Fire Control Order (Fire Ban) is now in effect for lands within Athabasca County located outside the Forest Protection Area.
Recent weather including low precipitation and high heat has driven up the wildfire risk resulting in a high potential of new wildfires starting.
Under this Ban:
- The lighting of outdoor fires is prohibited.
- Including all open fires, campfires, fires used for cooking, briquette barbecues, burning barrels, chimeneas and portable wood burning fire pits.
- The discharge of fireworks and use of exploding targets is prohibited.
For greater clarity, this Restriction does not include:
- Fires which are contained in CSA approved cooking appliances which are fueled by liquid fuel (propane, natural gas, or camping fuel) such as Barbecues or Camping Stoves;
- Internal household fireplaces with approved spark arrester or screen used to prevent sparks from leaving the chimney;
- CSA approved portable fire pits and radiant heaters which are fueled solely by liquid fuel; and
- Electrically operated pellet smokers where combustion is contained within an engineered firebox.
Residents and visitors to the region are encouraged to exercise extreme caution when recreating in the outdoors. While the grass is green, Off Highway Vehicles still have the potential to start fires. Check your exhaust for combustible buildup and stay to designated trails.