Albertans urged to be fire smart heading into hot, dry May weekend [Video]

It’s shaping up to be a hot, breezy weekend in Alberta, but the gorgeous weather comes with a warning: the wildfire risk is high across most of Alberta and it wouldn’t take much for a spark to blaze out of control.

While the message may sound like a broken record — it’s been warm and dry for weeks now in Alberta — officials say people can’t get complacent.

“We have really dry conditions. All of the snow has melted and all the vegetation and grass is really dry, which makes it easier for a wildfire to start,” said Kai Bowering, an information officer with Alberta Wildfire.

The spring wildfire season is underway, when the winter snow has melted but the forest has yet to green up with leaves and spring moisture.

It’s a precarious time when a warm and/or windy day could lead to fires spreading out of control — such as what happened a few weeks …