The Calgary Fire Department is having to battle more blazes in 2025, with an overall 20 per cent increase in the number of fires seen by the service year-to-date.
Driving that has been a triple-digit increase in the number of outdoor fires, including wildland, grass, and wooded area fires within the city, which has grown by 180 per cent over 2024.
Deputy Chief Deb Bergeson said that a dry winter, along with undergrowth and dry grasses, have been contributing factors to the rising number of outdoor fires.
“We’re seeing an extension of the grass fire season, and because we had a bit of a delayed spring this year, that greening up of the foliage didn’t happen as quickly, and that means that everything that’s out there is exposed and burnable,” Bergeson said.
Part of the ask for Calgarians this year is to be more considerate in disposing of cigarettes or whether hot exhaust from recreational vehicles could also start combustion.
“We encourage Calgarians to think of possibilities, what may happen from the actions that they’re taking. So, certainly, disposal of smoking materials—we have those typical putting your smoking material into a dry plant pot. We know that people may be parking apparatus or recreational vehicles near long dry grass, always consider the possibilities and keep safety in mind,” she said.
Locations like Fish Creek Park and Nose Hill Park were being monitored by the Calgary Fire Department, alongside other locations throughout Calgary with elevated fire risk.
“We have to consider the green areas or the green spaces in the City of Calgary, certainly, when it comes to the placement of our wildland and grass fire apparatus. That is a huge consideration,” Bergeson said.
“We know that every moment counts when we’re responding to an emergency. It’s very important to us to place these apparatus in the optimal places within our city.”
Deputy Chief Bergeson said that the fire department can move staff into wildland firefighting duties, and that there is specialized equipment, such as bush buggies and water tenders, that are ready to respond to fires.
“It does take apparatus, it does take planning, and it does take personnel. What we’re trying to do is do the best with what we have to make sure that we are responding and prepared for the greatest risks in our city,” she said.
One of the bright spots for this year’s fire response numbers, however, was that cooking fires have decreased by 41 per cent from 2024.
Combating cooking fires has been a major focus of the Calgary Fire Department over multiple information campaigns held last year.
