Slave Lake Area Update

Lighting sparks six new wildfires. High wildfire hazard persists for some communities.

Posted on Mon, Jul 13, 2015

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Wildfire Hazard

The rain last night was scattered as some areas received very little to none. For Tuesday, the wildfire hazard for the Slave Lake Wildfire Management Area is MODERATE with areas of HIGH to the north and west of Lesser Slave Lake. High wildfire hazard persisits for Red Earth, Loon Lake, Trout Lake, Peerless Lake, Kinuso and for areas around High Prairie.

 

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Weather Forecast

The forecast for tomorrow is calling warm temperatures in the mid 20's, a moderate chance of thundershowers and winds will be from the west/southwest 15 to 20 kilometres per hours. With thunderstorms comes an increased risk of lightning caused wildfires.  Please report wildfires by calling 310-FIRE(3473).  Even though there has been some rain, the ground and trees are still dry.  

Local Smoke

Smoke from wildfires burning across western Canada is forecasted to continue to impact Albertans. There are over 100 wildfires burning in the province. No communities are threatened. Anyone with smoke-related health concerns is encouraged to call Alberta Health Link at 8-1-1. Track smoke forecasts here: http://firesmoke.ca/forecasts/BSC00WC04/current/

Wildfire Situation as of 7:00 pm July 13th

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Lightning that passed through last night has caused six new wildfires today. Two have been extinguished, one is being held and three are out of control. Firefighters, helicopters and airtankers are fighting these wildfires. Currently, we have six out of control wildfires burning in the Slave Lake Wildfire Management Area. Communities are not being threatened.

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Slave Lake Wildfire number 208 and 209 were discovered late this evening and are small. Firefighters with helicopters are working to extinguish these wildfires.

Slave Lake Wildfire number 207 was discovered late this afternoon and is located 46 kilometres north of Peerless Lake. Airtankers and firefighters with helicopters are fighting this 15 hectare wildfire.

Slave Lake Wildfire number 163 started on June 30 and is located at approximately kilometre 25 on highway 754, 26 kilometres northeast of Marten Beach. A small amount of rain was received on the wildfire last night. The majority of the wildfire was smoldering with some areas of open flame. It grew very little today. Dozers continue working on building a guard around the south side of the wildfire. Over one hundred and forty firefighters and 18 helicopters are working on slowing the spread of this wildfire. This wildfire has burned 9175 hectares. Due to wildfire operations Highway 754 remains closed. For information on the road closure check 511 Alberta's Official Road Reports.

Slave Lake Wildfire number 140 was caused by lightning on June 30th and is located 60 kilometers north of Red Earth Creek. Helicopters with buckets have been working on this fire, and it is being constantly monitored by air.  This wildfire has burned 1916 hectares. 

Slave Lake Wildfire number 175 was a holdover lightning wildfire which was discovered on July 1st and is located 36 kilometers northeast of Peerless Lake. Firefighters and helicopters continue to fight this wildfire. This wildfire has burned 4647 hectares.

Since April 1, in the Slave Lake Wildfire Management Area there have been 209 wildfires that have burned a total of 17,230.99 hectares.Communities are not being threatened.
 
For information on the wildfires burning in Alberta visit the Wildfire Status Map at www.wildfire.alberta.ca or download the Alberta Wildfire App.

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A FIRE ADVISORY for the Slave Lake Wildfire Management Area is in effect as of 10:00 am July 2. Existing permits are suspended and no new permits will be issued. Exceptions are burn barrels, smudges, sweat lodges and smokehouses.These will be allowed. A valid permit is required and conditions must be followed. Safe campfires are allowed in backyards, campgrounds, backcountry and random camping areas.

Fire works in the Forest Protection Area are not allowed at this time. 

Check www.albertafirebans.ca for up to date information on the fire advisory.

We thank you for your cooperation. Abiding by the fire advisory you help keep our firefighters free to fight existing wildfires any new wildfires that may start.

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Help prevent wildfires while riding your off-highway vehicle

When riding your off-highway vehicle be sure to stop often and clean any debris from the hotspots. Unchecked, the debris can build up, begin to smolder and fall away sparking a wildfire. Click here to learn how you can prevent wildfires while riding your off-highway vehicle. 

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Unless conditions change, you can expect your next wildfire update July 14th.

Shawna Lund - Wildfire Information Officer

Slave Lake Wildfire Management Area 
Office: 780.849.7412
Mobile: 780.849.0945 
Shawna.lund@gov.ab.ca 
To report wildfires call 310-FIRE

For information about wildfires in Alberta follow us on Twitter @ABGovWildfire or Facebook. Download the free Alberta Wildfire app for Apple and Android devices.