The wildfire hazard is VERY HIGH for the Lac La Biche Forest Area.
The FIRE BAN and QUAD RESTRICTION remain in place for the Lac La Biche Forest Area east of the Athabasca River north of the Town of Athabasca. No open fires are allowed. All permits are suspended and no new permits are being issued. You can use a propane fire pit, or gas or propane stove or barbeque. No tiki torches, citronella candles, turkey fryers or any type of open fires are allowed. The QUAD RESTRICTION remains in place for this area.
A FIRE ADVISORY is in effect for the Lac La Biche Forest Area west of the Athabasca River north of the Town of Athabasca. No new fire permits will be issued and existing fire permits are suspended. Safe campfires are permitted in this area. The quad restriction is lifted in this area.
Other parts of the province that have received some precipitation have removed the FIRE BAN. Cities, towns, villages, summer villages, or federal lands such as National Parks may still have fire bans, restrictions or advisories in place. Municipalities that originally fell under the province-wide fire ban may choose to enact their own fire bans, restrictions or advisories. Check albertafirebans.ca for specific information.
There is a RANDOM CAMPING BAN ON PUBLIC LANDS IN THE RURAL MUNICIPALITY OF WOOD BUFFALO. The ban will ensure that first responders can continue to focus on existing wildfires and reduce the need for them to respond to other potential wildfire situations. For more information on this, call 310-4455.
The forecast for tomorrow is for a high of 21 with increased humidity of 35%, slight chance of precipitation, and winds E20 gusting to 35 km/hr. The east winds tomorrow mean the smoke should clear the area.
We didn't have any new wildfires today. Way to go everyone - thanks! We have 15 crews, 14 helicopters, air tankers and heavy equipment on hand, ready to battle any new wildfire starts.
LWF 076, west of Janvier is still classified as out of control at 130 hectares. Smoke prevented airtankers from working on this fire today. However, crews, dozers and helicopters bucketing water managed to hold the fire with minimal growth today. Winds continue to challenge firefighters. Tomorrow's east winds mean smoke will move away from Highway 881 and the community of Janvier.
Rain, rain, where are you? Much of the province has received some precipitation however the majority of the Lac La Biche forest area received little to no rain. The west edge of the area received some precipitation, which is why the area is divided with a fire ban to the east and a fire advisory to the west. In the meantime, remember that the area is extremely dry, and with the winds, new wildfires that start will be difficult to control.
For more information, please contact:
Leslie Lozinski
Forest Information Officer
780-623-9758