FIRE BAN NOW IN EFFECT - NO FIRES PERMITTED - EXTREME FIRE HAZARD - CAUTION ADVISED
The wildfire hazard remains EXTREME. A FIRE BAN is now in place for the ENTIRE Forest Protection Area of Alberta and all counties, municipal districts and special areas such as provincial parks and recreation areas.
The fire ban does not apply to cities, towns, villages or summer villages or federal lands such as national parks, but many municipalities have initiated a fire ban.
All fires are now prohibited. The only exception is contained fires fuelled by liquid or gas used for cooking or heating (ie barbeques – no briquettes). Fireworks are also covered under the fire ban.
Any existing fires must be extinguished immediately.
The fire ban is in place as a result of the extreme fire hazard across the province and wildfire activity in central and northern Alberta. Every precaution needs to be taken to ensure no new preventable fires are started in the coming days that will put additional strain on the province's firefighting resources.
Those who choose who contravene the ban can be fined up to $5,000 under the Forest and Prairie Protection act, and can also be held liable for the costs of putting out a fire they start.
For more information call 1-866-FYI-FIRE (394-3473) or visit albertafirebans.ca
Most municipalities in the area also have firebans, restrictions or advisories in place. For more information on these and other advisories, restrictions and fire bans in the province, please visit www.albertafirebans.ca and check municipality websites for updates.
This Ministerial Order came into effect at 4:30 pm on the 5th day of May, 2016.
Evacuations
Clearhills County has issued a voluntary evacuation in the Clear Prairie area west of Range Road 100. The evacuation preparedness alert remains in effect for other areas north of Highway 64 and west of secondary Highway 7 26.
For information on how you can prepare yourself for the event that an evacuation is necessary, visit www.aema.alberta.ca/72-hour-emergency-kit.
Both Running Lake and Ole Lake have been closed until further notice.
Wildfire Preparation
Firefighters, heavy equipment, aircraft and support resources have all been strategically placed throughout the Peace River Forest Area in preparation for any new wildfire starts. Please call 310-FIRE to report wildfires as soon as possible so that these resources can be dispatched expediently.
Active wildfires in the area
There was one new fire in the Peace River Forest Area yet today.
PWF 035 has been extinguished at 0.01 hectares in the Clear Prairie area.
WILDFIRES OF NOTE IN THE AREA:
ABC001 (BC Wildfire # G80068) A wildfire continues to burn west of the Clearhills area on both sides of the BC/Alberta border. Smoke from this fire will be visible from a significant distance away for the foreseeable future.
The wildfire is being continuously monitored by personnel in a helicopter. Our first priority is public safety. If an evacuation becomes necessary, those affected will be notified by the proper authorities immediately.
We have been working with the BC Forest Service to action this wildfire. Crews continue to action the fire with the construction of cat guards, helicopter bucketing support and burn-out operations today.
The fire on the Alberta side of the border spread is expected to spread towards the east tonight as the winds are extremely strong and from the west this evening. ABC001 map (from this morning- will be updated as soon as possible)
We had an overhead team setting up out in Worsley today, including a 100+ man camp soon to be full of firefighters. We also have approximately 75 pieces of heavy equipment working to help build guard out ahead of any new growth and a number of helicopters and support staff currently working on the fire. The team will be assuming command over the fire on the Alberta side tonight while the BC team continues to work on their side of the border. For updates on the BC side, please continue to visit the BC wildfire website.
SWF 030 is a large fire located approximately 45 kilometres northwest of Red Earth Creek. This fire is currently out of control and the smoke for this fire is visible from many places in the Peace Area. Go to the Slave Lake Wildfire Update for more information.
UPDATES ON PREVIOUS WILDFIRES:
PMD 001 is located just west of Whitelaw and is now under control at approximately 250 hectares in size. The fire has been contained and is not expected to spread beyond the current boundaries.
PWF 008 is under control at 12.3 hectares southwest of Dixonville.
PWF 011 has been turned over at 1.00 hectares east of Notikewin Provincial Park.
PWF 013 is located just southeast of the Figure 8 Lake Provincial Recreation Area and has been extinguished at 99.4 hectares in size.
PWF 022 has been turned over at 1.40 hectares north of the Weberville area.
PWF 023 has been turned over at 0.10 hectares in the St Isidore area.
PWF 024 is now under control at 74 hectares in size west of the Dixonville area (north of the Smith Mills road). Firefighters, aircraft and heavy equipment continue to work towards keeping this fire under control.
PWF 028 is under control at 0.01 hectares west of Manning.
PWF 029 is under control at 0.01 hectares in the Eureka River area.
PWF 031 is being held at 21.8 hectares in size in the Paddle Prairie Area. There are numerous firefighters, helicopters and heavy equipment working to control this wildfire.
PWF 032 is under control at 0.80 hectares in the Paddle Prairie Area.
PWF 033 is under control at 2.37 hectares in size in the Paddle Prairie Area.
PWF 034 is under control at 11.6 hectares in the Paddle Prairie Area.
Smoke concerns
Smoke is expected to drift into the area for the unforseeable future. If the smoke is bothering you, please consider staying indoors as much as possible. If you are having difficulties breathing, please call the Healthlink line or visit your local hospital. Please check the smoke forecast daily for expected smoke patterns.
Completely extinguish your campfires
A FIREBAN IS IN EFFECT - NO CAMPFIRES PERMITTED. All existing fires must be completely extinguished immediately. Soak it with water, stir it and soak it again. Repeat this process until the ashes are cool to the touch.
OHV use
A temporary province wide restriction on off-highway vehicle (OHV) recreational use on public lands and provincial parks has been issued. The OHV restriction will be in place until further notice. It applies to recreational use on public lands, including designated OHV trails, only. It will not apply to agriculture, public safety or commercial/industrial users who operate OHVs for farming, enforcement or business purposes. For more information visit the Alberta Environment and Parks website.
Double check your brush piles
With the fire ban now in place, ALL burning, including brush piles must be immediately and completely extinguished. When checking your brushpiles, spread around any remaining debris so you can probe the area for hotspots. Use your bare hand to feel for heat over the ash piles. If you see smoke or feel any heat, the fire is still burning beneath the surface. Douse any remaining hot spots with water and stir up the ashes. A fire is not completely extinguished until there is absolutely no heat emanating from the ashes.
Fire permits suspended
With the fireban now in place, ALL fire permits are suspended and ALL burning must be immediately and completely extinguished. No new fire permits will be issued until further notice.
For more information
To receive these updates:
Bookmark the Peace River Wildfire Update and check for updates anytime, or subscribe to have it emailed to you. You can also download our app, available for Apple and Android devices.
You can also find us onFacebook,Twitter orYoutube or visit www.wildfire.alberta.ca
Or contact:
Crystal Burrows - Wildfire Information Officer
(780) 618-6215
crystal.burrows@gov.ab.ca
Report Wildfires 310-FIRE