In spite of the ongoing heatwave and developing wildfire situation, Alberta’s wildfire season this year has been relatively “average” – but the same cannot be said for its neighbours BC and Saskatchewan.
According to Thompson Rivers University fire-science research chair Mike Flannigan, the relatively average wildfire count for Alberta this year is due to a lack of fires during the month of May.
“May is our busiest month in Alberta ... but May was actually near normal and actually wetter than normal in much of Alberta, so in May the weather was quiet,” Flannigan explained to CBC News.
The fire expert added that wildfires in Alberta normally begin during May due to dry and windy conditions, but May this year has been quite damp.
The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre reported that for 2021, Alberta has had 1,142 wildfires; the province’s five-year average is 1,018.
By comparison, there have been 592 wildfires this year in Saskatchewan – more than double the province’s five-year average of 284. Meanwhile, BC experienced 1,487 fires this season, which is 360 more fires than its own five-year average.
CBC News noted that for this year, both Alberta and BC saw record-breaking summer temperatures; the former seeing temperatures above 35 degrees, and the latter experiencing temperatures above 40 degrees.
Flannigan said that despite the temperatures, Alberta managed to rein in its wildfire activity thanks to fire crews keeping the initial fires under control. But the expert also warned that while the province saw relatively little fire activity compared to its neighbours, the rising temperatures due to climate change could mean the wildfire problem would only get bigger over time.
“We are going to see more fire. And yeah, we have to learn to live with fire.”
