Fire behavior is expected to be especially volatile today.  Please stay safe and stay out of wildfire areas.

Wildfire Hazard

The wildfire hazard in the area is now EXTREME.  Temperatures are expected to be a little lower today at around 23 degrees Celsius.  Winds are going to be strong and gusty from the northwest at 25 km/hr, gusting to 50 km/hr.    

Please help our firefighters fight wildfires quickly by contacting us immediately at 310-FIRE to report wildfires.

Fire Weather Advisory Declared – Wildfire Hazard [VERY HIGH/EXTREME]

Continued hot, dry conditions and expected wind up to 50 kilometres an hour will push the fire hazard to extreme levels. A fire weather advisory has been declared for the centre and north of the province. Fire weather advisories are only issued when the conditions significantly increase the risk of uncontrolled wildfires. Wildfires that start under these conditions can quickly grow very large and are very difficult to put out.

The fire weather advisory is in effect immediately and will not be lifted until conditions change.

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. 

Weather Advisory
Lightning storms along with strong, gusting winds are expected for the weekend. Strong winds can cause extreme fire behaviour and allow fires to grow rapidly, while lightning can ignite multiple wildfires. Residents and visitors to the Peace River Wildfire Management Area are urged to be extra cautious with any burning at this time and call 310-FIRE to report wildfires.

Contact 1-866-FYI-FIRE with questions.

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

Local Wildfires

There have been 131 wildfires in the Peace River Wildfire Management Area this fire season, all but 6 of which have been extinguished.  

Active wildfires in the area current as of 11 am on July 3 (changes have been bolded): 

• PWF 052  is under control at 1202.80 hectares 
• PWF 054 is under control at 36.60 hectares
• PWF 116 is now being held at 5.60 hectares northeast of the Notikewin Provincial Park
• PWF 130 is under control at 1.0 hectare in size in the Hawk Hills area 

• PWF 129 is out of control at 530 hectares in the Notikewin area (approximately 20 kms northwest of Sulphur lake). The majority of the fire has now been encircled by dozer guard.  The dozer groups will continue to work towards completely surrounding it today.  
• PWF 131 was discovered yesterday afternoon and has grown to 1,200 hectares in size.  This fire is located just south of PWF 129 and approximately 18 kms northwest of Stony Lake. Due to volatile and unpredictable fire behavior, we were unable to put firefighters on this fire yesterday and may not be able to this afternoon either.  Dozer groups starting working on building dozer guard around the fire early this morning and air tankers have been dropping long term retardant this morning which is holding the line so far.
• The fire behavior on both of these fires is relatively quiet this morning, but as the temperatures rise this afternoon, the fire behavior is expected to worsen substantially.
• *In order to ensure the safety of the public and our firefighters, access onto the Notikewin Tower Road and the Silver Creek Road will be limited to firefighters and equipment only until further notice.  Please do NOT go into the area for any reason without first calling 780-618-6215 today.*
• Please click here for a map.

BC FIRE

• BPZ002 - The wildfire located just on the BC side of the Alberta/British Columbia border in the Fontas area is now over 8,000 hectares in size and has now crossed into Alberta.  Approximately 20 hectares of this fire (10 hectares on the north and 10 hectares on the south) are burning within Alberta.
•  We are hoping to have a map showing the perimeter of this fire available this evening.      

Please click the link for an explanation of wildfire statuses.

Provincial Wildfires

There are 127 wildfires currently burning in the province, 51 of which remain out of control as of 11 am on July 3.  

The 2015 fire season has been busier than average for the province with 1,260 fires and 249,035 hectares burned thus far.  This time last year, there had been 725 wildfires with a total of 1,861 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