Lac La Biche Area Update

HIGH Wildfire Hazard for the Weekend

Posted on Fri, Jun 19, 2015

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The wildfire hazard for the weekend is HIGH.  Exercise caution in the forest this weekend.  Keep your campfires small and under control.  Stop frequently and check your quads, clearing debris that can heat up, fall to the ground and start a wildfire along your path.

The forecast for the weekend is for warm temperatures in the low 20s, humidity of about 40%, moderate chance of lighting, and light winds.  There have been light rain showers in the forecast for several days now, but we are not getting anything to speak of.  The humidity is keeping the fine fuels (like grass and leaves and twigs) a bit damp, but the bigger fuels on the ground (like logs and other organic matter) are very dry and combustible.

We will be on the watch for holdover fires from lighting over the past several days.  As the forest floor dries out, and with the winds, it's possible for holdover fires to ignite.  We are also keeping a close watch on our lighting monitor for new strikes that could result in wildfires. 

Crews continue to "mop-up" Burnt Lake Fire and Pony Creek Complex fires.  Infrared scans of the fires have identified hot spots for crews to target.  Hats off to our crews as they do the hard labor - dragging lenghts of hose over uneven forest floor, trees and stumps; stirring up the ground and roots with axes and shovels, and soaking the ashes until they are extinguished.

The crew below was working on LWF 126 - Pony Creek fire.  

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The photo below shows "hose melons".  Each length of hose is rolled up into a watermelon shape.  Each "melon" is 100 feet long. 

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We had no new wildfires again today!  We have 13 crews, the airtankers, seven helicopters, three cat units and other heavy equipment placed across the area, ready to attack any new fires.  The rest of the crews are working on Burnt Lake fire and the Pony Creek Complex fires.

Thanks for doing your part to prevent wildfire this weekend.  Quad carefully, keep your campfires small, and make sure they are fully extinguished before you leave them.

Your next update will be on Monday, unless conditions change.

For more information, you can contact:

Leslie Lozinski

Forest Information Officer

780-623-9758