The wildfire hazard for the Lac La Biche Area is EXTREME. There are currently two out of control fires in the area. We had one new fire today which is extinguished. Five fires from earlier in the season are under control. More information on Burnt Lake fire and Pony Creek fire appears below. Additionally, we are monitoring a fire that entered Alberta from Saskatchewan. The fire is in the extreme northeast corner of our area, south of Garson Lake. The fire is about 3100 hectares on the Alberta side and has reached Kimowin Lake (more info below).
The forecast for tomorrow is for cooler temperatures of 13, humidity of 25%. There is a chance of precipitation tomorrow accompanied by the chance of lightning and winds at NE20. Winds out of the NE are expected to push the fires to the south west.
Burnt Lake Fire (Cold Lake Air Weapons Range) - LWF 122
This fire is approximately 20,000 hectares and is still classified as out of control. Crews completed a successful burnout in the southwest corner where flames escaped the guard yesterday evening. New guard has been established in this section, which ties in to the burn out area, giving us a stronger hold on that flank of the fire. Fire size will change once we add today's addition. Some growth is expected.
There was active fire today on the northwest corner. Crews are working hard to hold this corner of the fire. We expect similar burning patterns tomorrow, as the wind continues to be from the NE at 20. Firefighters are working to prevent fire from spreading south towards Marie Lake, and to prevent fire from crossing Ken Baker Road to the west and from reaching Foster Creek facilities to the northwest. We will be watching to ensure the back burning and new dozer guard continue to hold the south flank. Tomorrow we plan to continue to strengthen containment lines with ground crews and air support. We plan to work on a dozer guard on the NE flank of the fire and to continue to work on the SW dozer guard.
As the time of issuing this report, the cold front is just approaching the Burnt Lake fire. Gusting winds are accompanying this front. Effects from this will be in tomorrow's update.
There are approximately 250 firefighters, staff and equipment operators working on this fire. There are 18 helicopters working the fire and the air tankers added their support today as well.
An updated map will be included in the morning update. The photo below shows the activity this afternoon.
Pony Creek Fire (west of Chard) - LWF 126
This fire is 1900 hectares and remains classified as out of control. The fire was active today and grew on virtually all flanks, escaping the fire guard during an erratic wind event associated with a passing cold front. Crews were pulled back from the fire for safety reasons, returning to action the fire when the winds settled down into a more predictable direction. There is currently continuous fire as well as intermittent fire in the crown (tops of the trees) on the north, south and east perimeters of the fire.
The fire grew by 500 hectares this afternoon. The fire is now 16 km east of Waddell Road, 20 km north of Leismer, 5 km west of Highway 881, 16 km west of Janvier, and 18 km west of Conklin. The fire is burning between Pony Creek and Waddell Creek. There are numerous pipelines and well sites in the area, as well as a powerline, rail line, and major Telus facility.
Three oil and gas facilities have evacuated personnel from the area. Forestry safely escorted personnel to a well site to extinguish a gas fire. Helicopters were bucketing on this fire all day with the exception of during the wind event. Air tankers were on this fire once the morning smoke cleared and again following the wind event. Ground crews have been working hard, supported by dozer units. Tomorrow's plan is to contain the excursions the fire took today with new dozer guard using ground crews, helicopters and the air tankers.
More than 60 firefighters, staff and equipment operators are actioning this fire. Tomorrow will see the addition of a "heavy" helicopter called a sky crane. This helicopter, which carries two pilots, has been imported from Oregon. It is a rotary wing aircraft with six blades. It is 9,000 horsepower with a 2,000 gallon water/foam tank that fills in 40 seconds. This powerful aircraft has the ability to deliver an amazing amount of water to the fire very quickly.
Smoke is a concern in surrounding communities. For more information visit www.albertahealthservices.ca
The map below illustrates the approximate location of the fire this evening. The "fingers" to the south, as well as the new "bump" to the east are from today's wind event.
We continue to monitor the fire that entered our area from the Saskatchewan side. The fire is about 3100 hectares on the Alberta side. See map below for the location. We do not have resources actioning this fire at this time, although we are working in close cooperation with the Government of Saskatchewan.
The map below is from today, although I do not have an updated size at this time. Note that the whole fire is pictured - the Alberta Saskatchewan border runs through Garson Lake. On the Alberta side, you can see that the fire advanced a bit to the east and to the west around Formby Lake - this was due to aerial ignition that the wildfire crews undertook to back burn a bit of land with the intent to redirect the fire.
The photo below is from earlier this week. Photo courtesy of the Government of Saskatchewan.
Other Area Info:
Today we had one new wildfire which is extinguished.
We have 18 crews, 18 helicopters, three cat units, five water trucks and other heavy equipment working across the area.
There is a fire ban in place: No burning, No Campfires. Propane bar-b-que's only.
We are not issuing permits and all existing permits are suspended. The forest is critically dry and volatile.
There are a number of high priority fires in the Province. LWF 122 and LWF 126 are among the top priority fires in the Province.
Please remember that quads start an alarming number of wildfire each season. Dry forest conditions are particularly sensitive to hot quads. RIDE DEBRIS FREE! Clear debris like dry grass and muskeg from your machines and prevent it from heating up, smouldering and falling to the forest floor along your path.
Thanks for doing your part to prevent wildfire. Following the Fire ban helps keep our firefighters free to fight major fires that threaten human life and communities.
Your next update will be issued by noon tomorrow, once overnight reports are in.
For more information, please contact:
Leslie Lozinski
Forest Information Officer
780-623-9758