Peace River Area Update

Peace River Forest Area Update - June 5, 2019

Posted on Wed, Jun 05, 2019

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FIRE BAN IN EFFECT

FBSFireBan_SocialMedia-01Due to the continued wildfire danger from dry grass and weather indicators, the Fire Ban and OHV Restriction remains in effect for the Peace River Forest Area and most of northern Alberta. 

Existing fire permits are suspended until further notice. 

Prohibited

  • All open fires including campfires in campgrounds, backcountry and random camping areas and backyard fire pits.
  • Charcoal briquettes, turkey fryers and tiki torches.
  • Fireworks and exploding targets.
  • The use of off-highway vehicles for recreational use on all public lands. 

Allowed

  • Portable propane fire pits that are CSA approved or UL certified.
  • Gas or propane stoves and barbecues that are CSA approved or UL certified and are designed for cooking or heating.
  • Catalytic or infrared-style heaters.
  • OHVs for industrial use, agricultural use, and traditional use by Indigenous peoples, as well as use on private lands. 

The Fire Ban and Off-Highway Vehicle Restriction will remain in effect until conditions improve. 

Many nearby municipalities have advisories, restrictions or firebans in place.  Please check www.albertafirebans.ca for more information and to view a map of the fireban/OHV restriction boundaries.

 

WILDFIRE UPDATE (current as of June 4, 2019 at 10 pm)

There were no new fire starts today.  

Numerous resources including crews, aircraft and heavy equipment groups were placed throughout the area on standby and at the ready to quickly action any new wildfire starts.  

There have been 72 wildfires in the Peace River Forest Area this fire season, and each of these wildfires has now been extinguished with the exception of two.  

 

WILDFIRES OF NOTE:

Battle Complex:

PCX-001 (formerly PWF 052 and 054) remains out of control at 56,200 hectares in size Manning/Notikewin area 

  • Today was another cool and wet day on the fire. Isolated showers have fallen on some parts of the fire and the increased humidity has helped to keep fire activity to a minimum. This has enabled ground crews and heavy equipment to make good progress on the fire perimeter.
  • The fire hasn’t grown in a few days now. A large contingent of ground crews, heavy equipment and helicopters remain assigned to this fire and work will continue their efforts
  • With decreased fire activity, the structural protection units (sprinklers) installed in the area have now been removed and the municipal firefighting crews brought in to do that work have been redeployed to other areas or have returned to their home locations. We thank them for their support on this incident. Additional structural protection units can be requested if fire activity changes and a need for them arises.
     
  • Battle Complex Map

PWF 070 remains classified as under control at 251 hectares in size west of Keg River.  The fire has been completely surrounded by dozer guard and the perimeter has not changed since Monday of last week.  Firefighters and aircraft are continuing to work towards extinguishing this fire and do not expect the perimeter to grow beyond the current boundaries.  

 

HWF 042 (Chuckegg Creek Fire)

For updates on this fire, please visit

http://srd.web.alberta.ca/high-level-area-update 

 

For your safety and the safety of the numerous firefighters working to contain these wildfires, please stay obey the access restrictions and stay out of the area if you do not need to be there.

 

For information on the wildfire situation across the province of Alberta, visit: wildfire.alberta.ca.

 

FIRE WEATHER

Today’s temperatures are expected to peak at around 15 degrees with RH levels in the 40-45 % range.  60-70% of the area is expected to see some rainshowers and thundershowers pass through with a moderate chance of lightning. The afternoon’s winds are expected to be relatively light at NW 15-20 km/hr.

 

SAFETY NOTICES

EVACUATIONS

County of Northern Lights:

The County of Northern Lights has issued a number of evacuation alerts for the area.  For more information and updates on their status, download the Alberta Emergency Alert app, listen to the local radio station or visit the County of Northern Lights website: www.countyofnorthernlights.com or the County’s facebook page www.facebook.com/countyofnorthernlights.

Please note:

All evacuees are requested to report at the Registration Centre located at the County of Northern Lights Main Office building at #600-7th Ave NW Manning. Registering helps the County of Northern Lights to keep you informed throughout this situation and for re-entry into your community. 

 
Town of Manning/County of Northern Lights:
 
  • The County of Northern Lights has lifted the evacuation order from Range Road 922 to Twin Lakes Campground effective June 3, 2019. There is now an evacuation alert in place for this area.
  • The evacuation order for the area from Twin Lakes Campground up to the County of Northern Light’s northern border, including Keg River and Carcajou has now been lifted and changed to an alert (effective June 5, 2019).
  • The evacuation alert for the Town of Manning including surround County of Northern Lights residents north of township road 910 (Northstar road) and south of township road 922 (Notikewin road) and all those west of range road 231 remains in effect.
Potentially affected residents must begin preparations to evacuate on short notice (fueling vehicles, gathering documents, preparing food and water and animal safety, etc.)
 
In the event that the evacuation order is given, the Emergency Coordination Centre will instruct you on an evacuation route and reception centre.
 
Please continue to monitor the local media stations, the County of Northern Lights website (www.countyofnorthernlights.com) and the Town of Manning Facebook page for updates.  
   
 
Paddle Prairie Metis Settlement:
 
Paddle Prairie remains evacuated.  Evacuees should register at the reception centre located at the Grande Prairie Regional College.  The reception centre phone number is 780-567-5587.
 
For information on the Paddle Prairie Metis Settlement evacuation, please visit their Facebook page.
 


For more information on evacuation alerts, visit Alberta Emergency Alert or download the free Alberta Emergency Alert app.

72 hour emergency preparedness kit      

 

ROAD CLOSURES

The Chinchaga Road is now open to commercial traffic 24 hours a day. It remains closed to all public traffic. Security checkpoints are set up on both the east and west edges of the fire area. The speed limit on the road has been reduced to 50 km/h. These measures are in place to ensure safe and efficient fire operations can continue in this active worksite and for your safety. 

The highway between Twin Lakes and High Level remains closed due to the Chuckegg fire and associated evacuations in that area.  

For information on road closures and other access related hazards, visit Alberta 511 or download the free Alberta 511 app.

 

SMOKE

Smoke may be drifting into the area for the foreseeable future. Anyone with health concerns should check with Alberta Health Services or call 811 for 24/7 health advice from Alberta Health Link. For a smoke forecast map, visit Wildfire Smoke Forecasts for Western Canada.

 

FIRE PERMITS SUSPENDED

All fire permits have been suspended, effective on May 16 at 6 pm.  No fire permits will be issued until the fire danger conditions improve.  

Please call the Peace River Forest Area office at 780-624-6190 if you have any questions about fire permits.

 

DO YOUR PART TO PREVENT WILDFIRES

Please continue to respect the fire ban and quad restriction currently in effect.  

  

FIRESMART

You can protect your home from wildfire

Protecting your home from wildfire starts with simple actions. Whether you are doing regular yard maintenance or making large scale changes during renovations or landscaping, you can make choices that will help protect your home from wildfire.

Learn more at firesmartcanada.ca.

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION

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Or contact:

Crystal Burrows 

Wildfire Information Officer

(780) 618-6215

crystal.burrows@gov.ab.ca

Report Wildfires 310-FIRE (3743)

 

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