The Municipality of Crowsnest Pass issued a fire ban on Wednesday, May 18th, following suit with several other communities throughout the province, including the MD of Pincher Creek, Calgary and Edmonton.
The only fires which will be permitted during the ban are those which are contained in cooking or heating appliances which are fuelled by fluids or gases.
The use of wood, briquette and propane or natural gas fires, including fire pits, is strictly forbidden.
Anyone in contravention of the ban could face a fine of up to $5,000, as well as the cost of extinguishing any resulting fires.
Municipal Chief Administrative Officer Tully Clifford said the decision to issue the ban was reached following correspondence with local fire departments.
“If something were to happen and it got out of control, the amount of personnel on hand to deal with the situation would not be significant,” said Clifford, noting that a large number of fire crews have been redirected to deal with more than 100 wildfires currently burning in the northern part of the province.