So far, so good Wetaskiwin area.
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Last week, the City, the County, the Town of Millet and Ermineskin Cree Nation put total fire bans in place and (keeping our fingers crossed), we have managed to avoid a major wildfire in our area.
I know County fire departments have been crazy busy putting out small fires before they blow up into big ones that could have any or all of us packing our things and evacuating because it has been crazy hot and that wind has helped nobody.
While the forecast is calling for cooler conditions and it looks like the wind has died down, as I write this, I can hear thunder and I have to tell you, the thought of rain is truly welcomed —lightning strikes are not.
That being said, when I spoke to UCP Candidate Rick Wilson last week, he told me of the (at the time 90) fires that were burning in the Province, only two were caused by lightning. The rest were the result of human activity. Whether that’s a carelessly dropped cigarette, winter burns that haven’t been doused completely or aren’t being monitored to ensure they don’t flare up or Off-highway Vehicles running through the forested areas, it’s up to us to be careful.
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As Wetaskiwin County Reeve Josh Bishop told me when I stopped by the County barbecue and open house last week — we are one flick of a cigarette away from a major fire.
So, I remind you all, please be careful and don’t think what happened in Drayton Valley, Edson, Entwistle and Wildwood couldn’t happen to us.
Millet residents remember it wasn’t that long ago a fire raced along the grasslands behind Moonen Heights and did significant damage to a property on the edge of town and how a change in wind could’ve changed everything.
But also remember, since I did a story earlier this year on the shortage of firefighters, there hasn’t been a dramatic increase in numbers, so the response you are hoping for to a carelessly started fire, may not be the response you get.
We all need to do our part to protect our communities until Mother Nature opens the skies and much needed rain starts to fall.
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Questions or comments? Email cmax@postmedia.com