MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY - In response to dry conditions across the district, Mountain View County has imposed a fire restriction effective immediately, the county's chief administrative officer Jeff Holmes said in a release issued Friday afternoon.
Under the restriction imposed on May 2, all current fire and firework permits are cancelled and no new fire or firework permits will be issued until the restriction is lifted, he said.
The restriction is in place until further notice, he said.
In accordance with Section 8.02 of Mountain View County’s Fire Bylaw, only the following activities are permitted under the fire restriction:
• The cooking of food using a barbecue.
• Fires in acceptable fire pit or acceptable fireplaces, provide the following:
- Only clear fuel is used such as natural gas, dry wood or charcoal in amounts which will e contained within the fire pit or fireplace below the mess screen.
- The acceptable fire pit or acceptable fireplace is not used to burn prohibited debris.
- A means, acceptable to fire services, of controlling or extinguishing the fire is available on the property and within reasonable distance from where the fire occurs.
- The fire is kept under control and supervised at all times by a responsible adult person until such time that the fire has been completely extinguished.
- The flame height does not exceed one meter above the structure or container.
As well, permitted fires include burning only burnable debris in an acceptable burning barrel, any fire set by fire services for the purposes of training, any fire for which a district fire chief determines in their absolute discretion does not require a fire permit, fires that are fuelled by compressed gas such as propane torches, oxygen/acetylene torches, and recreational fires.
The Mountain View County fire restriction comes days after provincial officials elevated the wildfire danger rating to very high across the Rocky Mountain House Forest Area.
Parts of Mountain View County are included in the forest area, namely west of Sundre and Bergen, covering Coal Camp and Bearberry west of Range Road 60 from Township Road 312 to the north boundary of the county.
“The wildfire danger is currently very high due to a combination of warm, windy conditions and an abundance of dry vegetation. Dead and dry vegetation remains a concern, as it is highly flammable and provides an easily available fuel source for wildfires," the province said in its May 1 update for the Rocky Mountain House Forest Area.
“Wildfires that ignite under these conditions may spread quickly and be difficult to contain. With warm temperatures expected to continue over the next few days, the wildfire danger will remain elevated," the update noted.
A fire advisory was issued for the Rocky Mountain House Forest Area Thursday, April 24 and remains in effect.
