Off-highway vehicles banned on provincial lands in southwestern Alberta as fire risk worsens

The province is banning the use of off-highway vehicleson public lands acrossa large swath of southwestern Alberta as the risk of wildfires reaches extreme levels because of the ongoing stretch of hot, dry weather.

With fire bans already in place throughout the region, Agriculture and Forestry officials announced new measures restricting off-highway vehicles on Tuesday.

The ban covers the forest protection area south of the Red Deer River along the mountains and Foothills to the northern boundary of Waterton Lakes National Park.

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"We are closely monitoring the situation as the fire hazard is reaching extreme levels throughout the forest in southern Alberta," said Forestry and Agriculture Minister Oneil Carlier in a release.

"Any fire that starts could spread out of control in a very short time. That's why we are taking additional steps to reduce the chance of any human-caused fires starting."

There are 11 wildfires burning in Alberta, according to the Aug. 1 provincial wildfire situation report.

It's believed at least one of those fires was sparked by an off-highway vehicle.

'Health and is safety first'

Melissa Caseyis the manager ofAll SeasonMotorsports, a company that rents out off-highway vehicles. With a long weekend just days away, Casey saidthe timing of theban couldn't be worse.

"Right now, it definitely affects our business as we have a big fleet of ATVs and UTVs that are able to go off road," Casey said.

Casey saideducation on OHV safety would be more useful than "one widespread ban," addingexperienced and responsibleriders are frustrated when they are "lumped into the same category" as the type of rider she calls "yahoos."

"I understand the fire ban, for sure, so of course, health and safety first," Casey said. "But Ithink (the OHV ban) is a little bit on the extreme side,to be that hardcore."

All SeasonMotorsportsis still open for business, and Casey said the company requires anyone renting OHVsduring the banto sign a waiver acknowledging the specific areas that are out of bounds to riders.

"More and more I find that people are caring about off-roading, so the safety of it is a lot higher I would say now than even a couple years ago."

Fires and fines

The province expects there to be more wildfires in the coming days as the hot, dry conditions continue.

This year's wildfire season has seen 817 fires burn a total of 3,539 hectares, the province says.

The province has689 firefighters, 69 helicopters, 40 pieces of heavy equipment and 18 airtankers available across Alberta.

There are an extra 600 firefighters across Alberta who can be mobilized "at a moment's notice," says the government.

There is a $287 fine for violating a fire ban, and violating the off-highway vehicle restriction carries a $575 fine, said Chad Morrison with Alberta Wildfire.

During the fire ban, no open fires are allowed including campfires in campgrounds but gas or propane stoves, barbecues and portable propane fire pits are allowed.

All fire permits are suspended and no new permits will be issued in the fire ban areas.

"The message here is all about prevention and how Albertans can best help us," said Morrison.

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