Peace River Area Update

Peace River Forest Area Update - May 29, 2018 (pm)

Posted on Tue, May 29, 2018

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PWF 047 was relatively quiet today.  The fire has not spread substantially since yesterday and the dozer guard has been 30% completed.

 

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FIRE BAN AND OHV RESTRICTION NOW IN EFFECT

A Fire Ban and Off-Highway Vehicle Restriction has been issued in the Forest Protection Area for most of northern Alberta beginning at the southern border of Big Lakes County, the hamlet of Lac La Biche and the town of Peace River, extending north to the border of Wood Buffalo National Park and NWT.
 
All fire permits are suspended and no new fire permits will be issued.
 
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.
 
The Fire Ban and Off-Highway Vehicle Restriction will remain in effect until conditions improve.
 
 
The Fire Ban and OHV Restriction will remain in effect until conditions improve.
For more information on this and other fire advisories/restrictions and fire bans within the province, please visit www.albertafirebans.ca or download the new Alberta Firebans App!

AW-FireBan App Call to action FB-FINALDownload the new Alberta fire ban app, available for Android and Apple devices, to make planning your next outdoor adventure a breeze!

Features include:

  • Push notification settings for specific geographic areas.
  • Three distinct categories - fire bans, restrictions and advisories.
  • Up-to-date data sourced directly from provincial fire authorities.
  • Provides data from last time opened even without data or WiFi.
 
 

WILDFIRE UPDATE (current as of 8 pm on May 29)

The wildfire danger level is now VERY HIGH in the Peace River Forest Area. The dry grasses and forest vegetation pose an especially high hazard in windy conditions. Please exercise extreme caution.  

Today's temperatures are expected to drop slightly to the low to mid teens, and the relative humidity is expected to range between 30-40%.  Winds are expected to blow in from the northeast at 15-20 km/hrScattered showers are expected to pass through the area as well.  Check our wildfire weather forecast for more details (MA=west side of the Peace River, RE= the east side).

Firefighters, helicopters, airtankers and heavy equipment groups have been strategically placed around the area in preparation for any new wildfire starts.

There are currently 3 active wildfires in the Peace River Forest Area.

  • PWF 34 is located west of the Hamburg area and is now under control at 1,168.00 hectares in size.  
  • PWF 47
    • This fire is still burning out of control at 2161.7 hectares in size 20 kms west of Hotchkiss.  The fire behavior was much quieter today and the fire did not spread substantially.  There were numerous heavy equipment groups working on building dozer guard on the fire and they were able to get the dozer guard 30% completed today.  Heavy equipment, helicopters and firefighters will be working on the fire again tomorrow.
  • PWF 49 was discovered this evening and is currently under control in the Deadwood area at 0.01 hectares in size.  Firefighters and helicopters are on site.

Expect local smoke in the next few days.  Anyone with health concerns should check the Alberta Health Services or call 811 for 24/7 health advise from Alberta Health Link. For a smoke forecast map use  Western Canada Smoke

For your safety and the safety of firefighters, please stay clear of wildfire operations especially when aircraft are flying in the area. We appreciate your support.  

For more information on the location of wildfires in the province including status definitions, please visit our wildfire status map. 

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

 

DO YOUR PART TO PREVENT WILDFIRES 

Before you burn it, get a permit

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Fire permits are now all suspended and no new fire permits will be issued until further notice.

Use campfires responsibly

Until further notice, NO campfires are permitted within the Forest Protection Area (of Northern Alberta) as per the fire ban above.

Off-Highway Vehicle Restriction

Until further notice,  the use of off-highway vehicles for recreational use on all public lands in northern Alberta is being restricted to help prevent the spread of wildfires.

Call 310-FIRE to report wildfires.

 

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION

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Or contact:

Crystal Burrows 

Wildfire Information Officer

(780) 618-6215

crystal.burrows@gov.ab.ca