FIRE BAN
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.
Due to increasing wildfire risk a complete Fire Ban is now in effect and all fires must be extinguished.
Under this Ban:
- The issuance of new fire permits is prohibited.
- All existing permits are suspended.
- 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.
- The use of Off Highway Vehicles (OHVs) is prohibited on public lands.
- This OHV restriction does not apply to OHVs operated as part of emergency response operations.
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, radiant heaters, and other appliances which are fueled solely by liquid fuel; and
- Electrically operated pellet smokers where combustion is contained within an engineered firebox.
Athabasca County has already been impacted by wildfires this season. Wildfire responses can tax local emergency services creating greater risk in the region. Grass and other light fuels are currently very dry, resulting in rapidly spreading fires that require significant resources to extinguish. At this time of year, most fires are human caused and are preventable. Failure to comply with this control order will result in enforcement action which may include fines, municipal orders, and/or the levying of fees associated with fire control and extinguishment.
This Fire Control Order comes into effect at 10 o’clock a.m. on the 1st day of May 2025 and will remain in effect until amended or revoked by the proper authority of Athabasca County.
