Peace River Area Update

Major Progress Made Towards Controlling Wildfires in the Area

Posted on Thu, Jul 23, 2015

GFX-HSB-WildfireDangerUpdate-Low

 CANUSA

The American hotshot crew and our local Peace River unit crew took a break from working on PWF 131 last night to take the opportunity for a group shot before the Peace River crew was redeployed to work towards extinguishing other active wildfires in the area.

Wildfire Hazard

The average wildfire hazard level for the Peace River Wildfire Management Area is now LOW. Temperatures are expected to be in the low twenties tomorrow (Friday) with 15-20 km/hr winds from the south/southwest. 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 lightning caused wildfires.  

 

Fire Advisory Lifted

The fire advisory has been lifted for the area.  Fire permits will continue to be issued on a site-by-site basis.  

Visit www.albertafirebans.ca for the latest fire ban information across the province. 

 

Concerned About Smoke?

Anyone with health concerns regarding the smoke should check the Alberta Health Services website or call 811 for 24/7 health advice from Alberta Health Link.

For a smoke forecast map, please visit Wildfire Smoke Forecasts for Western Canada.


Local Wildfires

There have been 155 wildfires in the Peace River Wildfire Management Area this fire season, all but 8 of which have been extinguished.  There was one new wildfire in the area today.

Active wildfires in the area current as of 6 pm on July 23 (changes have been italicized): 

  • PWF 052 is under control at 1202.00 hectares in the Hotchkiss area.
  • PWF 116 has been extinguished at 5.40 hectares northeast of the Notikewin Provincial Park.
  • PWF 130 has been extinguished at 1.0 hectare in size in the Hawk Hills area.
  • PWF 134 is under control at 0.5 hectares in size west of the Clearhills area.
  • PWF 135 is under control at 6.0 hectares in size west of the Clearhills area.
  • PWF 137 has been extinguished at 3.40 hectares north of the Hines Creek area.
  • PWF 151 is under control at 9.00 hectares in the Bison Lake area.
  • PWF 154 is under control at 0.10 hectares north of the Chinchaga road.

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 recieved 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 along with both the Stony and Sulphur Lake recreational areas, 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.*
  • 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. Crews were unable to patrol this fire today as the weather reduced visibility for aircraft.  
  • PBZ002 MAP UPDATED JULY 10

 

Provincial Wildfires

There are 77 wildfires currently burning in the province, 2 of which remain out of control as of 6 pm on July 23.  

The 2015 fire season has been busier than average for the province with 1,475 fires and 479,468.84 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