Fort McMurray Area Update

May 10, 2016 9:00 am Update on the Horse River Wildfire.

Posted on Tue, May 10, 2016

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For information on the Fort McMurray Wildfire contact Leah Lovequist 1-780-849-0945 Leah.Lovequist@gov.ab.ca

Public safety remains the key priority as the wildfire in Fort McMurray continues to burn. Provincial wildfire crews continue their efforts to reduce the threat to property and infrastructure.

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Update on the Fort McMurray Wildfire (MMF-009) as of 9:00 am today.

The priorities for this wildfire are to protect homes, critical infrastructure, the safety of first responders, and to further limit wildfire spread.

The wildfire remains classified as out of control and is estimated to be 229,078 hectares in size. The wildfire experienced very little growth yesterday. The increase in size is due to the Fort McMurray wildfire (MWF-009) overrunning the wildfire that was burning to the east which was MWF-015.
 
This morning conditions are cool and damp and the fire behaviour has been reduced to smouldering. However, as the temperature warms up we are expecting to see open flame. At this time we have not received any noteable amount of rain on this wildfire.
 
The cool and cloudy weather has allowed firefighters to make good progress.Dozers worked through the night to build guard around the north, east and south side of this wildfire. The progress is expected to continue with the cool weather and light winds forecasted for the next several days.
 
Suncor and Syncrude made the decision to shut down their facilities to the north of Fort McMurray and evacuate their non-essential staff. More information on these evacuations is available through the Provincial Operations Centre. On May 6, the wildfire reached the Athabasca Oil Sands Nexen Long Lake plant site however the site is still obscured by smoke.
 
We have over 700 firefighters (389 wildland and over 350 municipal), 20 helicopters (4 heavy helicopters) and 15 airtankers working on this wildfire. Additional firefighters and various pieces of heavy equipment are expected to arrive over the next coming days.
 
Frequent updates on the Fort McMurray wildfire and evacuation are available by visiting www.alberta.ca 
 
 
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A Province-wide Fire Ban is now in place for the Province of Alberta

All open fires, including campfires and charcoal briquettes, are prohibited. The use of incendiary targets is also banned.

Portable propane fire pits and gas or propane stoves and barbeques designed for cooking or heating are allowed.

The fire ban applies to Alberta’s Forest Protection Area and all counties, municipal districts and special areas, and provincial parks and recreation areas. The fire ban does not apply to cities, towns, villages, summer villages, or federal lands.

For more information on Fire Advisories, Restrictions or Bans across the province, visit AlbertaFirebans.ca or call 1-866-FYI-FIRE (394-3473).

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Province restricts off-highway vehicle recreational use

The OHV restriction will be in place until further notice. It applies to recreational use on public lands, including designated OHV trails, only.

It will not apply to agriculture, public safety or commercial/industrial users who operate OHVs for farming, enforcement or business purposes. The OHV restriction does not apply to the use of an OHV by Indigenous peoples when exercising a right recognized and affirmed under Part II of the Constitution Act, 1982 or a right under section 12 of the Natural Resources Transfer Agreement.

Wildfire management staff, along with enforcement personnel, including Conservation Officers and Fish and Wildlife Officers, will enforce the temporary OHV recreational restriction immediately. OHVs include all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), four-wheel vehicles, motorcycles and related two-wheel vehicles and amphibious machines.

For more information contact:

Leah Lovequist - Wildfire Information Officer

1-780-849-0945

Leah.Lovequist@gov.ab.ca

 

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