Lac La Biche Area Update

Wildfire Hazard Increases to Very High - 5 June 2016

Posted on Sun, Jun 05, 2016

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The wildfire hazard has returned to VERY HIGH for tomorrow.  Several hot, dry days with strong winds have successfully dried out the forest floor, returning the wildfire hazard to VERY HIGH.

The forecast for tomorrow is for a high of 27 with humidity of 25 and strong winds gusting to 45 km/hr.  The chances of a wildfire starting are greater when the temperature is higher than the humidity level.  When you add in the strong and gusty winds, it means that grass, leaves, and things on the ground will dry out quickly, and fires that start will spread quickly and be difficult to catch.

Fire permits state that it is unsafe to burn when winds are stronger than 15 km/hr, and the winds tomorrow are predicted to be much stronger than that, so please, refrain from burning tomorrow.

Also, watch your quads and ATVs if you are riding in the forest tomorrow.  Grass, muskeg and other debris that builds up in wheel wells and other spots on your machines will heat up, dry out, and eventually fall to the ground, starting a wildfire along your path.  Stop frequently and clear debris from your machines.  Soak or stomp smouldering debris until you're sure there's no chance of it starting a wildfire.

You might think we've had enough rain lately to reduce the risk of wildfire, but the forest is very dry.  We had one small grass fire yesterday that our crews were able to extinguish.  And we are currently assisting Thorhild County with a grass fire that started yesterday.  The fire is currently 40 hectares.

We have 9 crews, 9 helicopters, airtankers and two dozer units on hand to fight any new wildfires in the area.  We have exported several crews to help with the Fort Mc Murray wildfire, and we're lending a hand to Thorhild County.

Below you can see one of our firefighters, Ben Bartlett, demonstrating use of the muskeg probe on LWF 076.  This fire, west of Janvier, was burning deep into the ground.  This probe takes water from a nearby source and pumps it down into the muskeg, shooting it out of the various holes at the bottom of the probe.  When pushed into the ground, this tool helps us get water (and foam) down into the burning muskeg.  Crews are in the mop up stage on this fire, as they use a grid pattern to search for remaining hot spots.

 

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Thanks for doing your part to prevent wildfire.

For more information, please contact:

Leslie Lozinski

Forest Information Officer

780-623-9758