High Level Area Update

High Level Forest Area Wildfire Update | June 26, 2019 at 11:00 a.m.

Posted on Wed, Jun 26, 2019

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The Fire Ban and Off-Highway Vehicle Restriction have been lifted and a Fire Advisory has been put in place. Use caution in the forested areas and report new wildfires by calling 310-FIRE(3473).

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FIRE ADVISORY IN EFFECT FOR THE HIGH LEVEL FOREST AREA

The Fire Ban and the Off-Highway Vehicle Restriction for the High Level Forest Area has been lifted effective June 25, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. and a Fire Advisory has been put in place, due to a high hazard and local fire activity.

  • Safe Campfires are currently allowed, but may be restricted in the coming days if weather conditions change.
  • Current seasonal permits issued until October 31, 2019 are permitted.
  • New permits will only be issued for smudges, burn barrels and light debris yard clean up.

To get a fire permit please call 780-926-5407 and leave a detailed message with your home location, burn location and what you plan to burn. A patrolman will collect your info and call you to set up a visit.

Visit albertafirebans.ca for more information or download the new Alberta Fire Bans mobile app.


HIGH LEVEL FOREST AREA UPDATE | JUNE 26, 2019 AT 11:00 AM

There are 5 active wildfires in the High Level Area. Of these fires; 2 are Out of Control (OC), 2 are Being Held (BH) and 1 is Under Control (UC). (For info regarding the Chuckegg Creek and the Jackpot Creek fires please see below for more info.) Click here for a map of all fire locations and their status within the High Level Forest Area.

Wildfires of note;

  • Fire number, HWF091, is classified as Being Held (BH) and is located approximately 5 km southeast of the community of Fox Lake at 196 hectares in size. There are 28 firefighters, with 3 helicopters and heavy equipment working on this fire.
  • Fire number, HWF088, is classified as Being Held (BH) and is located 10 km northwest of Hutch Lake. This fire is 216 hectares in size. Heavy equipment continues to establish a fireguard around the fire perimeter. There are 41 firefighters, 6 helicopters and heavy equipment working on this fire.

***The next update will be at 8:00 p.m., or if conditions change.


Firefighters, helicopters, airtankers and heavy equipment are positioned throughout the High Level Forest Area to respond to any new wildfire starts. Please report wildfires by calling 310-FIRE.

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CHUCKEGG CREEK FIRE UPDATE | JUNE 26, 2019 AT 11:00 AM

The eastern side of the Chuckegg Creek wildfire remains to be the most active. Today, three dozer groups are working to build guard from the Peace River towards the Boyer River Cell Tower close to the fire perimeter, and feller bunchers will be working to open a contingency guard north of this guard. The equipment building the contingency guard will be working 24 hours a day. An additional dozer guard will be going in on the west side of the Peace River, northwest of Moose Island. On the east side, crews continue with mopping-up 100 feet from the guard into the fire. Firefighters and helicopters will also be working to extinguish hotspots.

On the southwest side and moving north, crews will continue to build dozer guard and followed by firefighters laying hose and mopping-up to reinforce the guard. Firefighters will be mopping-up and patrolling the Paddle Prairie area. They will patrol the fire perimeter and mopping-up inwards 100 feet. On the west side, firefighters will continue with direct attack and patrolling.

On the north end of the wildfire, mop-up inwards 100 feet is almost completed. Crew will work to extinguish the remaining hotspots, patrol the area.

Helicopters will be working to dropping retardant and water on the eastern perimeter east of the Peace River and north/north west of Moose Island.

Fire department resources in conjunction with wildland firefighters have extinguished the majority of hotspots along Highway 58 and will continue working to extinguish hotspots along Highway 35.  Structure protection remains in place as a precautionary measure, in the Blue Hills and La Crete area.

Today’s weather forecast is for a temperature highs of 24°C with relative humidity from 35 to 40%.  Winds will be out of the east to northeast 15 km/hr with 40% chance of precipitation. Yesterday, there was no growth of this wildfire. Today, the fire behaviour will be active especially on the east side and smoke will be visible from surrounding communities.

  • The fire is 331,946 hectares in size. 
  • There are 1,193 firefighters and personnel, 46 helicopters and 338 pieces of heavy equipment working on this fire.

THE JACKPOT CREEK FIRE UPDATE | JUNE 26, 2019 AT 11:00 AM

Although the cool, damp weather has been aiding firefighters in their efforts on the Jackpot Creek Fire, the sunshine and slightly warmer temperatures have returned this morning. The morning forecast however is showing unstable conditions which will likely produce more rain, thunderstorms and a chance of lightning later in the day. An evening cold front passage may also produce shifting winds with wind speeds in the 15 to 20 km/h range.

The Jackpot Creek Firebase is happy to welcome two new crews on base; a Northwest Territories crew arrived Tuesday and a Fort McMurray crew will be arriving today. The addition of the NWT and Fort Mac crews brings the bases complement of firefighters to 189 with representation now from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland, Ontario, the Northwest Territories and the United States. 

Crews will be continuing today with suppression efforts along the perimeter on the South and West flanks. Scanning flights are being conducted to identify hotspots and flare ups and crews will then be deployed to deal with these areas once priorities are established.

There are currently 22 helicopters working on the Jackpot Creek fire performing crew moves, water bucketing runs, equipment moves, recognizance fights and hotspot scanning runs.

  • The fire is 77,468 hectares in size.
  • There are 189 firefighters and personnel,  22 helicopters and 5 pieces of heavy equipment working on this fire.

jackpot hotspot after rain

The aerial picture above taken from a helicopter on the Jackpot Fire and shows an interesting side effect of passing rain storms. Fires in areas where ground cover is very deep will often produce something called an ash pit. An ash pit is a hole where fire has burnt deep into the ground and the ash has remained in the hole, creating the illusion that the pit is actually even ground. These ash pits can be very dangerous to firefighters and can smolder for long periods of time, quite often unnoticed. If the area receives rain, the moisture will sometimes enter the pit and cause steam and smoke to rise making the pit ‘active’ again and allowing firefighters to see it and deal with it. 


ALERTS AND EVACUATIONS | BE PREPARED, STAY INFORMED


Be prepared, stay informed.  Download the Alberta Emergency Alert App or visit their website by Clicking Here. You can also check with the County, the Town or your local community to see if new alerts or evacuation orders have been issued.


ROAD CLOSURE INFORMATION

To stay informed on all road closure info visit the Alberta Transportation website or download the mobile app.

SMOKE ISSUES

Smoke from wildfires in northern Alberta has caused poor air quality and reducing visibility at times. Winds will continue to shift bringing smoky conditions. For health related smoke issues, please visit Alberta Health Services.


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Victoria Ostendorf | Wildfire Information Officer | High Level Forest Area

Mobile: 780-841-9387 

1-866-FYI-FIRE

victoria.ostendorf@gov.ab.ca

Rosalie MacAulay | Wildfire Information Officer | Chuckegg Creek Wildfire

Phone: 780-653-0151 ext. 1052

1-866-FYI-FIRE

Rosalie.MacAulay@gov.bc.ca

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