Wildfire Hazard
Warm weather and winds have caused the wildfire hazard to climb to HIGH for areas north and west of Lesser Slave Lake.
Click here to view the wildfire hazard map.
Today's winds are very strong and gusty. Fire permit holders are advised to postpone burning as the winds today exceed the safe burning conditions on your permit.
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 your machine's hotspots.
Report wildfires by calling 310-FIRE (3473)
Weather
The temperatures for today will be in the low twenties and winds will be from the west gusting up to 45 kilometres per hour.
Wildfire Situation as of 1:00 pm July 4th
Thanks to the hardwork of our firefighters our three active wildfires have been 100 per cent contained.
Slave Lake Wildfire Number 51 and 52 - These wildfires were sparked by lightning on June 26th and are located in the Otter Lakes area, approximately 25 kilometres north of Little Buffalo. On June 30th, both of these wildfires were deemed 100 per cent contained. There are 80 firefighters with four helicopters working to extinguish these wildfires.
Slave Lake Wildfire Number 49 - This wildfire started on June 25th and is located 5 kilometres east of Highway 88, approximately 42 kilometres north of Red Earth Creek. The wildfire was caused by lightning and is 320 hectares in size. On July 1st, the wildfire was deemed 100 per cent contained. There are 34 firefighters with two helicopters working to extinguish this wildfire.
There were two small wildfires over the long weekend. Both were caused by lightning and were quickly extinguished. Since March 1st, the Slave Lake Forest Area has recorded 64 wildfires, burning a total area of 653.69 hectares.
For information on the wildfire situation across the province of Alberta click here.
Fire Permits
During the Fire Season a fire permit is required for any burning in the Forest Protection Area -excluding campfires.
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
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. By getting a fire permit you help keep our firefighters free to fight real wildfires instead of responding to the smoke in your backyard.
Please do your part to prevent wildfires
Ride Debris Free
Did you know? An Off-Highway vehicle exhaust can reach temperatures of over 200 degrees Celsius. That means it won't take long for that wet and muddy debris to dry up, start smouldering and fall onto the ground as you drive away. You can help reduce your chance of starting a wildfire by stopping frequently to remove any build up of debris from the hot spots on your machine.
Make Sure It's Out
Unless conditions change, you can expect your next wildfire update on July 5th , 2017.
Leah Lovequist - Wildfire Information Officer
Mobile: 780-849-0945
Email: Leah.Lovequist@gov.ab.ca
Report Wildfires 310-FIRE (3473)