With all of the lightning storms that have been passing through the area recently, there have been numerous lightning-caused wildfires popping up.  Lookout observers report not only smokes but also any lightning strikes that they see touch down so that our fire fighters will know where to look for any potential new lightning fires enabling them to find these fires before they have a chance to grow.  

Wildfire Hazard

The wildfire hazard in the area is now HIGH.  Lightning showers are expected to pass through the area today and combined with the lightning that has passed through earlier this week, new lightning fires are a definite possibility in the coming days.  

As these thunder showers pass, they can cause the winds to become strong, gusty and sporadic, resulting in faster spread rates and more volatile fire behavior. Please help our firefighters action these wildfires quickly by contacting us immediately at 310-FIRE to report wildfires.

Fire Restriction Information

The Peace River Wildfire Management Area currently has no fire bans or restrictions in place.

Please visit www.albertafirebans.ca to ensure that there is no fire ban or restriction in your area before burning.

Local Wildfires

There have been 96 wildfires in the Peace River Wildfire Management Area this fire season, all but 7 of which have now been extinguished.  In the last 48 hours, there have been 10 new wildfire starts in the Peace area.  

Active wildfires in the area current as of 2 pm on June 24: 

• • PWF 052  is under control at 1202.80 hectares and surrounded by dozer guard  
  • PWF 054 is under control at 36.60 hectares
  • PWF 087 is under control at 0.10 hectares.
  • PWF 088 is being held at 26.68 hectares in size in the Bison Lake area.  The fire has been completely surrounded by dozer guard and crews will continue to work on it until it is under control.
  • PWF 094 is being held at 1.0 hectare in size in the Fontas area.
  • PWF 095 and PWF 096 were discovered north of Eureka River this afternoon and are each being held at 0.01 hectares

Provincial Wildfires

Provincially, there are 38 wildfires currently burning, six of which remain out of control as of 2 pm on June 24.  

The 2015 fire season has been busier than average for the province with 946 fires and 90,348 hectares burned thus far.  To put that in perspective, this time last year, there had been 547 wildfires and 1,776 hectares in the 2014 season.    

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.

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.

• get a fire permit before you burn
• ensure that your campfire is COMPLETELY extinguished before you leave your site
• check your ATV for dry debris that may be heating up on the hot parts of your machine.  

For More Information

• Visit us on Facebook, Twitter or download our Alberta Wildfire App for android and apple products
• Up-to-date information fire restrictions and fire bans is available by calling 1-866-FYI-FIRE (1-866-394-3473).
• Current wildfire information
• Fire ban information
• Fire ban system