The wildfire hazard for the weekend is MODERATE. All the weather forecasts are predicting rain - so we'll just wait and see what we get and where it lands. In the meantime, continue to be careful in the forest area. Conditions remain quite dry, and most places have received scant precipitation.
There is a FIRE ADVISORY in place. This means you can have a small, controlled campfire in a campground, in your backyard or in the back country. No other burning is allowed at this time. So, no burn barrels, no yard debris. We are not issuing any permits, and existing permits are still suspended. Thanks for your co-operation on this. We will reevaluate the situation after the weekend if we receive precipitation.
We had one new wildfire today, which was extinguished.
Pony Creek Complex Fires (LWF 126, LWF 147, LWF 148)
LWF 148 and LWF 147, which started yesterday have been grouped with LWF 126. All three fires are in fairly close proximity to each other. LWF 147 and 148 are east of the highway and north of Christina Lake, whereas LWF 126 is west of the highway.
LWF 126 is under control. Crews continue to mop up hotspots on the fire. It's laborious, back-breaking work where crews walk the fire, in a systematic grid pattern, making sure all hot spots are extinguished. They use shovels and axes to turn the ground over, pull up smoking tree stumps and roots. Then they soak the ground with water from hoses they have pulled along the dozer guard and into the fire. We will continue this pattern, using infrared scanning to identify any remaining hotspots. This process will continue for weeks, until we are satisfied the trail of the fire is cold.
LWF 147 is under control at 3.2 hectares. Ground crews worked today to contain the perimeter of the fire with pumps and hoses. WIth support from helicopters with buckets, ground crews monitored for spot fires outside the perimeter of the fire. This process will continue through the weekend, as crews work from the outside perimeter of the fire toward the center of the fire, extinguishing hotspots, smouldering ground, and torching trees.
LWF 148 is being held at 23 hectares. After the airtankers left the fire yesterday, ground crews worked through the night to build dozer guard around the fire. Today crews were working to lay hose around the entire perimeter of the fire along the dozer guard. Other crews were monitoring the fire for spot fires outside the perimeter of the fire. Helicopters with buckets were assisting the ground crews. This process will continue throughout the weekend.
The photo below shows smoking hotspots this afternoon on LWF 148.
LWF 122 - Burnt Lake Fire (Cold Lake Air Weapons Range)
The photo below shows crews pulling hose through the fire area on LWF 122 to extinguish hotspots. Pulling heavy hose, under pressure, over the forest floor and through the brush is really tough work!
This fire is being held at 31,997 hectares. The fire is now 100% contained! Crews worked today to complete the containment lines along the north side of the fire. Other crews worked to extinguish visible flare ups and hotspots identified by the morning scan. More crews are continuing to work to extinguish everything within 100 feet of the perimeter. This process will continue for the next several weeks. Crews will continue to walk the fire, in a systematic grid, extinguishing hotspots, smouldering ground and flare ups. The principles we apply to a campfire - Soak it, Stir it, Soak It Again - apply here as well, but on a bigger scale. Crews will soak the ground with pumps and hoses, stir up the ashes with hand tools like axes and shovels, and soak it again. They won't be satisfied until the ashes are cold to the touch. We call this "cold trailing" the fire. It's a long process, but it's important we don't leave the fire until we're confident it won't come back to life when the winds pick up and the temperatures get warm again. Thanks for your patience. We know everyone is anxious to get back to work, and we have your safety in mind.
Saskatchewan Fire/David Fire (Near Garson Lake)
This fire remains out of control at 11,278 hectares on the Alberta side and 36554 hectares on the Saskatchewan side.
A dozer group worked today to construct line north of the winter road on the Alberta side. Crews working with pump and hose are following along behind the dozer guard. Other crews are working on the perimeter along the Kimowin Lake area. This fire is expecting rain on the weekend. Crews will continue working along the perimeter on the Alberta side this weekend.
The Rest of the Area
We have several fires from earlier in the season on patrol status. We have 12 crews, the airtankers, 10 helicopters and three cat units deployed across the area, in addition to the crews working on the fires listed above.
Your next update will be on Monday, unless conditions change.
For more information, please contact:
Leslie Lozinski
Forest Information Officer
780-623-9758