Wildfire Hazard
Strong winds and dry conditions have caused the wildfire hazard to climb to VERY HIGH for the Slave Lake Forest Area.
Click here to view the wildfire hazard map for June 7th.
For areas around and south of Lesser Slave Lake the winds are expected to be gusting up to 40 kilometres per hour tomorrow.
Use extreme caution as a wildfire will ignite easily and spread quickly under these windy conditions.
Report wildfires immediately by calling 310-FIRE(3473).
Please do your part to prevent wildfires.Make sure your campfire is out and when riding your off highway vehicle stop frequently to remove the build up of debris around the machine's hotspots.
Fire permit holders be advised that you must postpone any burning as the winds will be outside the safe burning conditions.
In response to the very high wildfire hazard, the fire towers are constantly watching for smoke and firefighters with helicopters, airtankers and various pieces of heavy equipment are stationed in the area, ready to fight any new wildfires that may start.
Weather
Temperatures for tomorrow will be 27 degrees Celsius and winds will be from the southeast gusting up to 40 kilometres per hour for areas around and south of Lesser Slave Lake. In areas north of Lesser Slave Lake winds will be from the southeast 15 kilometres per hour.
Wildfire Situation as of 4:30 pm June 6th, 2017
There was one new wildfire late this morning. A motorist traveling on highway 2 called 310-FIRE to report a wildfire located approximately 12 kilometres west of Slave Lake. Firefighters quickly contained the small grass fire and it has been extinguished.
The wildfire which started on May 24th and is located 30 kilometres south of Snipe Lake has been extinguished.
Since March 1st, the Slave Lake Forest Area has recorded 38 wildfires, burning a total area of 44.19 hectares.
For information on the wildfire situation across the province of Alberta click here.
Fire Permits
Before you burn it, get a permit. As of March 1st, fire permit are required for any burning (excluding campfires) in the Forest Protection Area.
To obtain your free fire permit, please call your local Alberta Agriculture and Forestry Office:
- Slave Lake/Red Earth/Peerless/Trout 780-849-7377
- Wabasca 780-891-3860
- High Prairie 780-523-6619
Last year in Alberta, 60%% of wildfires were caused by humans. Human caused wildfires are 100% preventable so please do your part to prevent wildfires this season. By getting a fire permit you help keep our firefighters free to fight real wildfires instead of responding to the smoke in your backyard. Fire permits help us to track what is burning on the landscape and if you are burning without a fire permit or outside your fire permit conditions, your fire is considered a wildfire.
Do your part to prevent wildfires.
A campfire left smoldering can cause a wildfire. Never leave your campfire unattended and make sure it is out. This video shows you how to make sure your campfire is out.
Your off-highway vehicle can start a wildfire. Check your off-highway vehicle frequently for any smoldering debris. Grass, muskeg, moss or other debris can drop to the ground as you're riding and spark a wildfire. This video shows you how to ride debris free.
Wildfire Information
Connect with Alberta Wildfire on Facebook,Twitter and Instagram. Get the most up-to-date wildfire information by downloading the free Alberta Wildfire app for Android or Apple devices.
Unless conditions change, you can expect your next wildfire update on June 7th, 2017.
Leah Lovequist - Wildfire Information Officer
Mobile: 780-849-0945
Email: Leah.Lovequist@gov.ab.ca
Report Wildfires 310-FIRE (3473)