July 8, 2015: 10 pm

Spot fires and excursions on PWF 131 have been keeping firefighters busy since yesterday afternoon. Tomorrow, heliopters, crews and heavy equipment will contine to work to get this fire under control.

Wildfire Hazard

The wildfire hazard in the area is HIGH for tomorrow (Thursday).  Temperatures are expected to be lower tomorrow with shifting winds around 20 km/hr.  There is a chance that some lightning showers will pass through the area in the next 24 hours, potentially causing some new wildfires to start over the next couple of days.

Fire Advisory Information

The Peace River Wildfire Management Area has declared a Fire Advisory effective at noon on June 26, 2015.

Campfires
Safe campfires are permitted in campgrounds and back country or random camping areas. 

Fire Permits
Fire permits are not suspended at this time, but may be in the future if the wildfire hazard continues to climb. Fire permits will be issued on a site by site basis and may be refused until conditions are more favorable. 

Please make a habit of visiting www.albertafirebans.ca to ensure that there is no fire ban or restriction in your area before burning.

Concerns 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 137 wildfires in the Peace River Wildfire Management Area this fire season, all but 9 of which have been extinguished.  

Active wildfires in the area current as of 9 pm on July 8 (changes have been italicized): 

• PWF 052  is under control at 1202.80 hectares in the Hotchkiss area
• PWF 116 is under control at 5.40 hectares northeast of the Notikewin Provincial Park
• PWF 130 is under control at 1.0 hectare in size in the Hawk Hills area
• PWF 134 is being held at 0.5 hectares in size west of the Clearhills area
• PWF 135 is out of control at 5.0 hectares in size west of the Clearhills area
• PWF 136 is under control at 0.01 hectares in size north of the Deadwood 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 being held at 530 hectares in the Notikewin area (approximately 15 kms northwest of Sulphur lake). The fire has now been encircled by dozer guard.  Numerous firefighting crews and helicopters worked towards further controlling this fire today and actioned a number of spot fires. The fire jumped the guard last evening and tankers and helicopters worked to control it.  The dozers extended the dozer guard around the newly burnt area and crews and helicopters worked on extinguishing hot spots today. 
• PWF 131 is now 2772 hectares in size.  This fire is located approximately 10 kms west of Sulphur Lake and 15 kms northwest of Stony Lake.  This fire also burned beyond its previous boundaries last night and continued to do so today.  The dozer guard was extended around the new fire area today while air tankers dropped retardant and multiple helicopters bucketed, supporting the firefighting crews on the ground. Numerous spot fires have been burning on the perimeter of the fire. Crews, helicopters and heavy equipment will work on further controlling this fire tomorrow.  
• PWF 132 has been extinguished at 0.30 hectare in size.
• *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.*

• NOTIKEWIN COMPLEX MAP 
• These fires will be retracked tomorrow and a new map is expected to be available on Friday.

BC FIRE

• BPZ002 - The wildfire located just on the BC side of the Alberta/British Columbia border in the Fontas area and approximately 2000 hectares of this fire are now burning within Alberta.

• BPZ002 MAP
• This fire will be retracked tomorrow and a new map is expected to be available on Friday.     

Please click the link for an explanation of wildfire statuses.

Provincial Wildfires

There are 96 wildfires currently burning in the province, 33 of which remain out of control as of 9 pm on July 8.  

The 2015 fire season has been busier than average for the province with 1,307 fires and 460,913 hectares burned thus far.  This time last year, there had been 792 wildfires with a total of 4,062 hectares burned.

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  or 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