The wildfire danger is very high in the High Level Forest Area.
We ask Albertans to be extremely cautious if they are spending time in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta. In these conditions, a wildfire will ignite easily and spread quickly.
WILDFIRE DANGER
When measuring the fire hazard, Alberta Wildfire considers many different factors including temperature, moisture in the air (humidity), wind speed and how dry ground conditions are.
Alberta Wildfire uses a variety of tools to identify areas with a high wildfire danger, and strategically places resources where they are needed most to efficiently respond to new wildfires as they occur.
WILDFIRE SMOKE ISSUES
Smoke from wildfires may hang low to the ground at night and into the early morning due to temperature inversions. A temperature inversion is when warm air “caps” cooler air, causing smoke to be trapped in valley bottoms at night and into the early morning. The trapped smoke generally begins to lift after the sun rises and heats the earth’s surface. Inversions can be very dangerous for road conditions and surrounding communities. Visibility can be limited.
If you see smoke that is causing safety concerns to road conditions, please report to Alberta 511. Individuals experiencing smoke related health issues, can contact Alberta Health. To see a map showing the smoke forecast please click here.
HIGH LEVEL FOREST AREA WILDFIRE UPDATE| MAY 24, 2023 AS OF 9:00 A.M.
There are five wildfires in the High Level Forest Area. Of these fires, two are classified as out of control (OC) and three are under control (UC). To see a map of the wildfires in the High Level Forest Area and across the province please click here.
Firefighters, aircraft, and heavy equipment have been working in conjunction with communities, county and municipal firefighting services as aggressively as possible to make progress on wildfires in the High Level Forest Area. Despite all of this hard work, there remains uncontained wildfire perimeter and fire behavior forecasts indicate that there will be continued growth on the wildfires throughout the region.
Safety Briefing on the Long Lake Fire. Photo courtesy of Ben Brinkman
THE LONG LAKE FIRE | HWF036 | MAY 24, 2023 AS OF 9:00 A.M.
This fire is located in the vicinity of the Town of Rainbow Lake. This wildfire is classified as out of control (OC) with a last recorded size of 120,068 hectares. A small amount of precipitation fell over the Town of Rainbow Lake. Conditions will still be dry on the forest floor and we are expecting an increase in fire behavior today, especially in areas that have had recent fire activity. Winds will be from the west today, potentially spreading the fire towards the north and east during the afternoon burning period.
As of this update, this wildfire remains approximately 13 km from the community of Chateh.
Firefighters’ top priority is the safety of the Town of Rainbow Lake, the community of Chateh, and oil and gas and energy infrastructure. Wildland firefighter crews and wildland urban interface crews continue to monitor and patrol properties and the structures within the Town of Rainbow Lake, the community of Chateh and the Silver Tip Open camp until evacuation orders are rescinded, power lines re-energized and communications are re-established.
Incident control objectives include, ensuring containment around the Town of Rainbow Lake for the duration of the incident. The fire line is being secured to limit easterly spread to the community of Chateh and other infrastructure. Firefighters continue to patrol and monitor control lines around the west side of Chateh.
There are 128 firefighters, nine helicopters and heavy equipment working on the Long Lake Fire. Structural protection crews will continue protecting structures within the area as the wildfire situation evolves.
The Town of Rainbow Lake has an evacuation order in place.
Dene Tha First Nation has an evacuation order in place for the community of Chateh.
Please stay informed by downloading the Alberta Emergency Alert mobile app or by visiting their website.
Weather Forecast | Long Lake Fire (HWF036)
Smoke coverage continues to be variable from the Long Lake fire, fires from central Alberta and eastern British Columbia. Tomorrow the forecast is as follows: a temperature of 14 degrees, a relative humidity of 40 percent with east winds 10-15 km/h.
THE PASKWA FIRE | HWF030 | MAY 24, 2023 AS OF 10:00 a.m.
The Paskwa fire is located in the community of Fox Lake and was detected on May 2, 2023. This fire is classified as out of control (OC) and the last recorded size is 73, 936 hectares. The fire is inside the Wood Buffalo National Park boundary and is approximately 8 km from the community of Garden River.
Yesterday the fire area received approximately 3 mm of rain. This, combined with lower temperatures and higher relative humidity will result in low levels of fire behaviour. The fire is not anticipated to experience significant growth today or tomorrow.
Today, crews will continue work to secure the northeast perimeter of the fire working along the retardant line on the flank closest to the community of Garden River. Crews have been working to extinguish 30–60-feet along the perimeter from the Oxbow to the Peace River. Bucketing work will continue on the east side of the Oxbow where the fire has been moving into slash and old burn areas.
Many hotspots have dug deep into the ground in the community of Fox Lake and significant work remains to fully extinguish the fire in this area. Crews are working to create an extinguished perimeter of approximately 30 metres around every structure in the community of Fox Lake. This objective will take time given the number of structures in the community. ATCO crews have been working in Fox Lake to restore power and repair damaged lines.
There are 83 firefighters, 9 helicopters, and heavy equipment working on the Paskwa fire. Air tanker support is available as requested. Yesterday, three 8-person firetack crews arrived onsite.
Little Red River Cree Nation has an evacuation order in place for the community of Fox Lake. The community of Garden River remains on an evacuation alert. For information regarding the evacuation, please stay informed by visiting the Little Red River Cree Nation’s Facebook page.
Weather Forecast | Paskwa Fire (HWF030)
Cool and humid weather has moved into the area. Today, the forecast is as follows, a temperature of 17 degrees and relative humidity of 55 percent, with west winds of 15km/h and a 70 percent chance of light to moderate precipitation of less than 5mm.
FIRE BAN AND OHV RESTRICTION IN EFFECT
A fire ban and OHV restriction is in effect within the Forest Protection Area of Alberta due to extreme fire danger. The fire ban and OHV restriction will remain in effect until conditions improve.
Under this fire ban:
•All existing Fire Permits are suspended (or cancelled)
•No new Fire Permits will be issued
Prohibited:
•All outdoor wood fires are banned, including wood campfires on public lands, wood campfires on private land and provincial campgrounds
•Backyard firepits
•BBQ charcoal briquettes
•The use of fireworks and exploding targets
•The recreational use of off-highway vehicles (OHV) on public lands, including designated OHV trails
Allowed:
•Propane/natural gas-powered appliances
•Open flame oil devices (e.g., turkey deep fryers, tiki torches)
•Indoor wood fires contained within a device with a chimney and spark arrestor
•All appliances must be CSA approved and used per manufacturer’s standards
•Indigenous people when using an OHV for traditional purposes. Traditional purposes are hunting, fishing, and trapping – including the use of an OHV to travel to the location(s) for these purposes.
•Essential industry-related activities requiring the use of OHVs.
•Off-highway vehicle use is still permitted on private lands.
DO NOT FLY DRONES NEAR WILDFIRES!
The use of recreational drones over wildfires in Alberta is dangerous, illegal and could result in a fine of up to $15,000* for putting aircraft and people at risk. Please give Alberta firefighters the space they need to do their jobs safely.
*Transport Canada
ALBERTA STATE OF EMERGENCY
A provincial state of emergency has been declared. Albertans who require assistance can call 310-4455 for wildfire related information.
Preparing in advance can keep you safe and comfortable, and help you get back to your normal life and work more quickly. It also helps others because emergency responders can focus on helping those who need it the most.
Connect with the Alberta Emergency Management Agency:
Hours: 8:15 am to 4:30 pm (open Monday to Friday, closed statutory holidays)
Phone: 780-422-9000
Toll free: 310-0000 before the phone number (in Alberta)
Download the Alberta Wildfire app today and get access to accurate, real-time information on wildfires in your area. You can also find information on fire advisories, restrictions and bans across the province and much more all on your mobile device. Available forAppleandAndroid.
Before heading out, please checkalbertafirebans.cato determine whether there are any fire advisories, fire restrictions or fire bans in effect for your destination.
Volunteers, equipment owners/operators or firefighters looking to assist with these wildfires or any of the wildfires within the province can contact EmergencySupportOffers@gov.ab.ca.
There are multiple EVACUATION ORDERS & ALERTS in the Province. Please visitAlberta Emergency Alertsor your community webpage for more information.
TheNASA FIRMS Fire Information websiteis a great resource to give an idea of the location of wildfires in the area, but it should be noted that this data is based on interpolation and often can make a wildfire appear larger than it actually is.
Wildfire smoke is a tool used for the location of smokefiresmoke.ca
To see all the wildfires burning in Alberta click here.
