Leduc Fire Chief advises caution amid dry conditions

LEDUC -- City of Leduc Fire Chief Bryan Singleton is asking residents to remain vigilant amid the ongoing fire risk.

This comes after the municipality was placed under a fire advisory earlier this week due to prolonged dry and warm conditions in the region. Under the current advisory, open-air fire permits and the use of campground or backyard fire pits are still allowed, however, a fire restriction or full ban may be called if conditions worsen. Chief Singleton is asking residents to exercise caution when using outdoor fire pits.

"Be extra careful making sure that fires are of a maintainable size," said Singleton. "That they're never left alone, and have some water nearby in case anything happens and you need to put it out."

Across the Leduc County region, several municipalities have already been placed under full fire bans as of May 9th. This includes Calmar, Thorsby, Warburg, Devon, and Leduc County. For the City of Leduc, Chief Singleton says there's been no indication as of yet that the municipality will see an escalation in its fire rating in the coming days. However, he does note there are several areas of the City that are of concern.

"The City of Leduc doesn't have a lot of wild land area compared to a County," said Singleton. "But we do certainly have parks, small ravine areas, and around Telford Lake, that are wildland areas, so those are the ones we're most concerned about."

To keep yourself and your community safe, Singleton encourages residents to always conduct outdoor burning with the utmost care, and to always properly dispose of cigarette butts. He notes that users of recreational vehicles should also be cautious.

"They're gas powered so they all have an exhaust system, and that gets very hot," said Singleton. "Dry grass or leaves can easily catch fire if they come into contact with that kind of machinery."