![Wildfire season heats up as hot, dry conditions fuel risk in northern Alberta](https://i.cbc.ca/1.7252766.1719965638!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_620/high-level-wildfire-7-2-2024.jpg)
Wildfire season heats up as hot, dry conditions fuel risk in northern Alberta
CBC
The Canada Day weekend in northern Alberta was also a rather fiery one.
As of Tuesday evening, 62 wildfires were burning in the province, including about 20 that are out of control.
Seventeen fires were concentrated in the High Level forest area, and two were in the Fort McMurray region.
Melissa Story, a wildfire information officer with Alberta Wildfire, said thunderstorms have sparked some of the fires in northern Alberta.
"So, we are responding to a number of lightning fires that have started in that area," she added.
Story said fire danger in the northern part of the province remains "high to very high."
"We are seeing those conditions that are conducive to wildfires starting easily and spreading quickly," she said.
"That does contribute to the wildfire situation that's happening up there, coupled with the lightning strikes that we have seen in that area."
Story said most wildfires in spring are caused by humans, but now the province begins to see more naturally ignited fires.
Between June 29 and July 2 there were 28 confirmed lightning starts, Story said.
Story said the "elevated fire behaviour" in the High Level forest area makes fire suppression efforts more difficult.
"We are doing everything that we can to get a handle on the fire situation that's happening up there," she said.
Story said that currently there are no communities under threat from wildfire.
But the residents of High Level are still quite anxious, said Crystal McAteer, High Level's mayor.