The wildfire danger continues to be VERY HIGH in the Lac La Biche forest area.
The forecast for tomorrow is for a high of 14 degrees, with low humidity of 20%, no precipitation, and winds at SE15 km/hr. The combination of low humidity, lack of precipitation, and continual drying winds is keeping our wildfire hazard elevated. There is no precipitation in the forecast for the next several days, with increasing temperatures and stable humidity. We expect the hazard to remain in the VERY HIGH range for several days.
The Fire Advisory remains in effect for the Lac La Biche forest area. No burning when winds exceed 15 km/hr. No non-essential burning. Small, safe campfires are still allowed at this time. Check albertafirebans.ca for information on current levels across the province.
We have 14 crews, the airtankers, 10 helicopters, two dozer groups, and seven water trucks on hand to action wildfires tomorrow.
We had seven new wildfires today. Several were in the Janvier area. One wildfire, discovered this afternoon, was burning in the trees and grass next to an industry site and near a quad path. The airtankers were able to contain the fire on three sides and a ground crew worked hard to extinguish hotspots and get the fire under control. So far this season we've had 64 wildfires in the area.
There are a couple great lessons from today's wildfire - the gravel pad of the industry site was able to act as a fire break along one side of the fire. Gravel around buildings or yards is a great way to protect values at risk from travelling grass fires. The second lesson is that if you're quadding in the grass, under these very dry and breezy conditions - remember to stop frequently and clear your machine's hotspots from grass that builds up, heats to the point of ignition, and drops to the ground along the path starting a wildfire.
The photo below shows an Alberta Wildfire firefighter directing a helicopter that is moving into position to bucket on a hotspot. Good work Terri!
Thanks for doing your part to prevent wildfire.
For more information, please contact:
Leslie Lozinski
Wildfire Information Officer
780-623-9758
leslie.lozinski@gov.ab.ca