Calgary’s Wildfire Warning: What You Need to Know | Calgary News

Calgary’s launching its first wildfire awareness campaign, targeting high-risk neighborhoods with signs directing residents to a city website for home and yard protection tips. Fire Chief Steve Dongworth warns this is just the beginning, as climate change intensifies urban fire threats — even as global fire counts dip, blazes are growing more destructive, with major outbreaks in Spokane and British Columbia already displacing hundreds. Calgary’s seen more fires in the first half of 2024 than in the entire span from 2017–2020. Drawing from his LA wildfire experience in 2025, Dongworth describes unprecedented fire behavior — fires creating their own weather and racing downhill. With parks like Fish Creek and Nose Hill identified as hotspots, the city’s vulnerability is stark. But local geoscientist Yevhen Vasylenko cautions that official risk maps may overlook critical zones — his satellite analysis reveals hidden vegetation networks across private lots and ravines, especially flammable dry grasses and shrubs, which could rapidly spread flames into neighborhoods like Osprey Hill, turning undeveloped borders into direct fire pathways. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/505f633fd348d067