CFB Wainwright conducting prescribed burn in eastern Alberta

A thick plume of smoke could be seen far and wide in eastern Alberta Wednesday afternoon. It may have appeared to be a wildfire, however, it was controlled burning on the military base in the area.

The Canadian Armed Forces said the Wainwright Garrison is conducting a prescribed burn in the Wainwright range training area.

The burn is four kilometres southwest of the built-up area of CFB Wainwright.

The military said range control staff and Wainwright Garrison firefighters are on the ground monitoring the situation 24 hours per day, and the fire is currently under control.

A notice issued Tuesday by the Municipal District of Wainwright No. 61 said the military would be conducting prescribed burns within their training area between Monday and Friday of this week.

“Residents in the MD or the Town of Wainwright may see smoke as a result of the prescribed burns,” the municipality said on Facebook.

The notice said the military carries out prescribed burns routinely to make sure the training area is safe, and they are coordinated with local stakeholders to ensure that residents of the Wainwright area are safe at all times.

“Any fires outside of the Garrison Wainwright perimeter must be reported to local authorities by calling 911,” the MD said.

The fire comes a week after the municipality brought a fire restriction into effect.

The MD of Wainwright said no new fire permits will be issued until further notice and existing fire permits are now rescinded.

“Any fires currently burning must be extinguished immediately. Only small, continually-monitored fires in fire pits are permitted, as well as barbecues used for cooking or warming purposes,” said the restriction posted on the Alberta Fire Bans website.

CFB Wainwright is located in east-central Alberta, about 200 kilometres southeast of Edmonton.

For the latest information on which areas in Alberta are under an evacuation alert or order due to a wildfire, visit the Alberta Emergency Alert website.

For the latest information on the wildfire status and danger across the province, visit the Alberta Wildfire website.

The latest information on fire advisories, restrictions and bans across the province can be found on the Alberta fire bans website.

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