Peace River Area Update

Hazard Climbs Steadily Higher as More Lightning Expected

Posted on Tue, Jul 28, 2015

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Lightning is expected to continue to pass through the area.  Please help our firefighters to get to new wildfires quickly by calling 310-FIRE to report a wildfire.

Wildfire Hazard

The average wildfire hazard level for the Peace River Wildfire Management Area is now HIGH. Temperatures are expected to be in the low to mid twenties tomorrow (Wednesday) with 20 km/hr winds from the west. More scattered rain coverage has been forecasted for the next 24 hours.  A moderate risk of lightning has also been forecasted, creating the opportunity for more lightning caused wildfires.  

 

Local Wildfires

There have been 161 wildfires in the Peace River Wildfire Management Area this fire season, all but 6 of which have been extinguished.  There was one new wildfire in the area today.

Active wildfires in the area current as of 5 pm on July 28 (changes have been italicized): 

  • PWF 052 is under control at 1202.00 hectares in the Hotchkiss area.
  • PWF 135 is under control at 6.0 hectares in size west of the Clearhills area.
  • PWF 160 was discovered today and is currently being held at 0.01 hectares in the Hines Creek area.

NOTIKEWIN COMPLEX

Please continue to respect the restrictions to access that have been put in place for your safety and the safety of our fire fighters.

  • PWF 129
    • is under control at 419.50 hectares 
    • located in the Notikewin area (approximately 15 kms northwest of Sulphur lake).
    • A dozer guard has been completed around the entire perimeter of the fire.    
  • PWF 131
    • 3,167 hectares in size and is now being held.
    • This fire is located approximately 10 kms west of Sulphur Lake and 15 kms northwest of Stony Lake. 
    • Firefighters, heavy equipment and helicopters continued their work towards containing this wildfire today.  The fire received a trace of rain in the last 24 hours and did not grow significantly today. Numerous firefighters, heavy equipment and helicopters will continue to work towards containing the fire tomorrow.    
  • *In order to ensure the safety of the public and our firefighters, access onto the Notikewin Tower Road, the Canfor Road, the DMI P2 200 and the Silver Creek Road will be limited to necessary personnel only until further notice.  Please do NOT go into the area for any reason without first calling 780-618-6215.*
  • Both Stony Lake and Sulphur Lake Recreational areas have been reopened to the public!
  • NOTIKEWIN COMPLEX MAP UPDATED JULY 21  

PBZ002 (FONTAS FIRE):

  • PBZ002
    • This wildfire started in British Columbia and has made its way over the Alberta/British Columbia border in the Fontas area.  
    • Approximately 3000 hectares of this fire are now burning within Alberta. 

 

Provincial Wildfires

There are 72 wildfires currently burning in the province, none of which are out of control as of 5 pm on July 28.  

The 2015 fire season has been busier than average for the province with 1,501 fires and 486,752.23 hectares burned thus far.  

Please visit our wildfire status map on our website at www.wildfire.alberta.ca or download the Alberta Wildfire App for more information on what is happening throughout the province.

 

Wildfire Preparedness

In addition to the numerous resources we currently have working on the active wildfires within the area, there are a number of firefighters, helicopters and heavy equipment groups that have been placed strategically throughout the Peace River Wildfire Management Area, ready to be dispatched to any new wildfire starts.

 

Fire Permits

BEFORE YOU BURN IT, GET YOUR PERMIT

Albertans in the forested areas need to get a fire permit for any burning, excluding campfires.

  • Fire permits are free and you can get more information or request a fire permit by calling our Peace River office at 780-624-6190.
  • Please call a week in advance of when you would like to burn in order to give our staff time to make arrangements to come out to your site and issue your permit.
  • In order to further ease the process, please have your site ready according to the burning site guidelines. before staff arrive.
  • All permits must be completely extinguished before they expire, so if you need an extention, please make sure to call in for one well before your permit expires.

 

Wildfire Prevention

Please click on the links below for more information on how YOU can prevent wildfires.

 

For More Information

 

Remember to help us action wildfires quickly by calling 310-FIRE to report a wildfire.

For more information:

CRYSTAL BURROWS - Information Officer
c: 780.618.6215   o: 780.624.7142
crystal.burrows@gov.ab.ca