CALGARY — March 1 marks the start of wildfire season in Alberta, which comes days after firefighters brought a fire burning west of Ghost Lake, north of Highway 1A, under control. The cause of the 16.7-hectare fire remains under investigation. The provincial government, along with municipalities and firefighting crews across Alberta, have already been busy with preparation work for this year’s season. Minister of Forestry and Parks Todd Loewen talked about the importance of being prepared. …The province has bolstered its wildfire mitigation plans this year, Loewen says. Utilizing controlled burns, creating firebreaks and managing forest vegetation to minimize fuel for fires are all tools at the government’s disposal. As of Friday afternoon, there were 10 active fires in the province; however, none were classified as out of control. Loewen says nearly 60 wildfires were burning at this time last year.
Authorities in Japan have warned that the country’s biggest wildfire in decades is likely to spread, after it damaged dozens of homes and forced more than 1,000 people to flee. Fires continued to rage a week after they broke out in the city of Ofunato, on the north-east coast, with weather officials speculating that this year’s unusually dry winter and strong winds were to blame. As of Monday, the fire had spread through about 2,100 hectares of land, damaged 84 homes and forced 1,200 residents to take refuge in school gymnasiums and other shelters. A further 2,000 are staying with friends or relatives. …More than 2,000 self-defence force [SDF] troops and firefighters have struggled to control the flames as they spread through heavily forested mountainous areas bordering Ofunato, which was among communities destroyed in the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
MORIOKA, JAPAN — One person has died, and more than 80 homes appear to have burned down after a wildfire broke out in a northeastern Japan city, local authorities said Thursday, as the region faced its third fire in about a week. Since Wednesday, the blaze has scorched more than 600 hectares in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, the municipal government said. With the fire still spreading, about 3,300 residents have been ordered to evacuate. Firefighters battled the blaze through the night, while helicopters were deployed in the morning to contain it from the air. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency requested emergency support from firefighting departments in eight nearby prefectures, and they sent about 690 personnel combined. …Efforts to contain the blaze Wednesday were carried out at ground level as the strong winds precluded waterbombing by helicopters. When the latest fire broke out, strong wind and dry air warnings were in place in the area.