The recent rain in the area is bound to be a relief for local firefighters.
Devin Capcara with Strathcona County Emergency Services said that they've been busy with a string of wildfires since early May, which is usually their busiest time of the year.
Earlier this month, there was a fire in a rural area of the county, where construction workers on a bridge spread welding sparks to poplar fuzz.
"We've got a dozer in, cutting some protection lines between the fire area that was still smouldering and some houses that would otherwise be threatened."
Capcara said that the influx of rain hitting the area this week is great for those battling these blazes.
"When it's hot and dry, there's a condition called 'crossover'," stated Capcara. "Basically, it's when the relative humidity and temperature are equal. That's when you can see extreme fire conditions."
"When you hit crossover, a smouldering fire can produce flames. Once you have flames and dry air, fires take off and you can get extreme fire behaviour."
Capcara added that rain and humidity are paramount to preventing crossover.
"Any kind of moisture that sinks into the ground is absolutely lovely for us, and when we don't have it for a long time that's when we see things get a lot more extreme."
In 2022, Strathcona County firefighters fought 92 blazes by June. This year, those numbers are slightly higher at 104. Deputy Chief Gordon George said that this isn't as big of an increase as you might think.
"What is different this year is that we had a period where a fire ban had been initiated in the community, and the fire behaviour has been higher to extreme as we've seen through the wildfires we responded to, especially in early May.
George added that fire bans typically cancel out the increased fire risk that comes with crossover.
"When it comes to outdoor fire responses, we get a lot of smoke investigation calls. Fire pits or local burn piles that could potentially lead to the wildland, but they're usually not that significant and could be handled by the crews that arrive on the scene," said George. "With a fire ban, those behaviours or activities in the wildland just aren't happening."
With the recent rain, Strathcona County has moved their fire ban to a fire advisory, which means that all outdoor fires are now permitted, with the exception of fireworks and exploding targets.