In Alberta, peak wildfire season starts March 1 and runs until October 31. However, fires may occur year-round, even in the winter. 

Calgary isn’t currently considered a high‑risk area for wildfires, but that doesn’t mean there’s no risk, or that serious outdoor fires could happen. Our overall wildfire risk is assessed as medium, and we expect it will continue to trend upward over the long term, largely as a result of warm weather conditions in much of the winter months and sustained periods of hot weather in summer months.

• Outdoor fire risk is influenced by weather, vegetation, and how communities are built and maintained. Drier conditions, longer fire seasons, and more development near natural areas mean wildfires are no longer limited to remote locations.
• As the city grows outward, more neighbourhoods are closer to wildland areas. Fire seasons across Alberta are also getting longer, hotter, and drier, and more people are spending time in these areas, which increases the chance of a fire starting.
• Calgary Fire continues to actively address wildfire risk through regular operations, including risk reduction in parks and wildfire preparedness education, firefighter training as well as collaboration with other agencies like CEMA and our neighbouring fire services.
• Seasonal wildfire trends still vary depending on conditions. From January to June 2026, wildland fires in Calgary declined by 17 per cent, primarily due to fewer brush, or brush and grass mixture fires, compared to the same period in 2025
• The reduction in wildland fires was strongly influenced by persistent cold temperatures and heavy snow accumulation during January to April 2026. These conditions reduced several ignition risk factors, including construction activity, outdoor smoking near entrances and balconies, and the use of outdoor heating or open-flame devices. Higher snowpack and delayed vegetation curing also reduced early-season wildland fire risk.

The City takes a layered approach to wildfire resilience. This includes wildfire threat assessments, emergency preparedness, firefighter training, public education, habitat management, targeted vegetation management where appropriate, and ongoing collaboration between Calgary Fire Department, Parks & Open Spaces, CEMA and other City business units.

Actions are tailored to site-specific conditions and are designed to balance community safety, ecological health and long-term resilience. These include:

Emergency response and preparedness

• The Calgary Fire Department can deploy specialized wildland and interface equipment, including off‑road response vehicles, which allows firefighters to reach areas that traditional fire trucks cannot, helping protect both natural areas and nearby communities.
• Calgary Fire also completes regular training in wildland interface zones such as Nose Hill and Discovery Ridge to help ensure emergency preparedness, including familiarity with access and topography in the event of a response.
• The City performs daily monitoring of weather and ground conditions and have invested into extra operational readiness and training within the Calgary Fire Department and adjust staffing and response levels during higher‑risk conditions.
• Fire bans may be implemented when necessary to reduce the likelihood of human‑caused fires, and we regularly provide public education to help residents understand and reduce risk around their homes.
• A Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Wildfire Strategy is being developed through collaboration between CEMA, Calgary Fire Department and other City partners. It is is focused on better understanding wildfire risk, reviewing best practices, identifying opportunities for collaboration and supporting a coordinated city-wide approach to wildfire preparedness.

Management of natural areas

• Wildfire risk is influenced by many factors, including weather, vegetation, topography, development patterns and how structures are built and maintained. The City's approach focuses on understanding site-specific risks and using the most appropriate tools to improve resilience.
• Within Parks & Open Spaces, proactive strategies include targeted thinning and pruning of dead trees/brush and removal of debris to decrease fuel loads along trails and public lands. In select grassland areas, grazing is one of several management tools used to manage vegetation, support grassland health and contribute to wildfire resilience.
• The City continues to prioritize work in natural areas that supports wildfire resilience while maintaining ecosystem health. Actions are based on site-specific conditions and are intended to balance community safety, ecological health and long-term environmental resilience.
• Depending on the location and conditions, The City may use a variety of approaches to support wildfire resilience, including habitat restoration, targeted vegetation management, emergency planning, public education and operational preparedness.
• As part of habitat restoration and natural area management work, The City considers drought tolerance, biodiversity, environmental resilience, public safety and wildfire resilience when making decisions about vegetation and landscape management.

Community education and outreach

• Residents and communities play an important role by taking steps to reduce risk around their homes and in our city's natural areas. The City’s business units engage Calgarians on everything from residential fire prevention, emergency preparedness to wildfire smoke. 
• The Calgary Fire Department has been partnering with Discovery and several other communities to provide advice and support to achieve reduction of shared wildfire risk.
• Additionally, a city-wide wildfire awareness campaign rolled out in August 2026 with new messaging and materials for all Calgary neighbourhoods at greater risk for outdoor and wildfire activity. This work was supported in part by the Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta (FRIAA).

The City has developed a wildfire threat assessment program to better understand wildfire conditions in natural areas across Calgary. These assessments consider factors such as vegetation, fuels, weather, topography and proximity to homes and infrastructure, helping inform future planning, preparedness and risk reduction priorities. 

Reducing wildfire risk is more complex than simply removing vegetation. Wildfire risk is influenced by many factors, including weather, topography, vegetation, development patterns and how structures are built and maintained. The City's approach focuses on understanding site-specific risks and using the most appropriate tools to improve resilience while maintaining healthy natural ecosystems. 

Tree and vegetation management decisions are based on site-specific assessments and project objectives. Depending on the location, considerations may include habitat health, biodiversity, invasive species management, ecological restoration, public safety and wildfire resilience. Wildfire risk is one of several factors that may be considered when planning work in natural areas. 

Healthy, resilient ecosystems can play an important role in community resilience. Through habitat management and restoration work, The City may address factors such as vegetation condition, fuel continuity, invasive species and long-term ecosystem health while balancing environmental, operational and public safety objectives. 

Grazing is primarily used as a grassland management tool that helps support healthy grassland ecosystems. In some locations, grazing can also contribute to wildfire resilience by managing vegetation. Grazing is one of several tools available to The City and is used where appropriate based on site-specific conditions and management objectives. 

The wildland‑urban interface is where homes, neighbourhoods, and infrastructure meet natural areas such as grasslands, forests, and river valleys. These areas exist across Calgary, not just outside the city, and they can be found in both established and growing communities. Living in these areas increases exposure to wildfire risk, especially during hot, dry, and windy conditions.

Fires in these areas behave differently than either structure fires or wildfires alone, because vegetation and buildings can ignite and spread fire together, creating more complex and fast‑moving conditions.

The Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Wildfire Strategy is being developed through collaboration between CEMA, Calgary Fire Department and other City partners. The work is focused on better understanding wildfire risk, reviewing best practices, identifying opportunities for collaboration and supporting a coordinated city-wide approach to wildfire preparedness, resilience and risk reduction.

• This work is still in the early stages and is focused on gathering information, reviewing best practices, looking at what’s already happening across the city, and ensuring alignment with provincial and federal partners.
• The strategy will formalize the work we’ve been doing for years: it will lay the groundwork for interdepartmental operational teams to carry out fire fuel reduction mitigation work efficiently and collaboratively. 

Many everyday things can be done to reduce outdoor fire risk. Actions include:

• Do not store propane tanks, firewood or yard waste next to your house. Propane tanks should be stored outside.  
• Prune all tree branches within two metres of the ground and plant new trees at least three metres apart. 
• Assess potential fire hazards within 1.5 metres of your home, including natural debris, trees and other structures. 
• Fire pits, as well as outdoor fireplaces, wood-burning ovens or chimeneas, as well as fire pits in City parks should be used properly. Find out more at Fire pit safety.
• Ensure safe disposal of all smoking materials. Calgarians may not be aware of the increased risks connected to a drier climate, wind gusts and the dangers associated with outdoor smoking, putting their communities at risk.  
  • Never put out cigarettes or smoking material in flower planter, peat moss, your lawn or garden.  
  • Use a deep, wide, sturdy metal container with a lid, filled part way with sand or water that should be emptied regularly. 
  • Ensure all butts and ash are out by soaking them with water prior to putting in the trash. 

• Extreme caution should be used in the city’s natural areas and green spaces where extremely dry vegetation covering the ground provides readily combustible fuel if an ignition source is applied. 
• Always check if a Fire Ban is in effect before starting a fire and only use designated fire pits in parks or your backyard: Fire Bans and Advisories.
• Visit Calgary.ca/wildfire, FireSmart Alberta as well as fire prevention in your home to find out more.
• Always call 9-1-1 in an emergency. Call 311 to report non-emergency outdoor fire concerns.