As soon as the first reports came in about the northern Alberta wildfires, investigators were already collecting data as part of their hunt to determine the causes. They wanted to know, among other things, about the weather and any human activity in the area before the fire broke out. …Before setting foot on either scene, wildfire investigators checked if there were any lightning strikes in the area in the past three weeks to a month. Wind speed, temperature, humidity and other weather data will help investigators understand the fire’s behaviour and provide some clues to the possible cause. …There are nine general fire causes which include campfires, lightning and problems with equipment — which can be broken down into smaller groups of causes, such as railways or hydro lines. Knowing that “helps us define what we’re finding out there, so that we’re working ourselves back to the origin,” Douglas said.