Tanis Blocka will be acting Information Officer for the area as Leah Lovequist has been called to Fort McMurray. Anyone requiring information can contact Tanis at Tanis.Blocka@gov.ab.ca or 780-516-1347.
Wildfire conditions in the Slave Lake Forest Area are VERY HIGH. The weather for tomorrow is still expected to be slightly below normal at around 12-15 degrees Celsius with light winds. The forecast as we move into the weekend is calling for a warming trend with no rain expected. A significant amount of rain is needed to reduce the hazard across the province and we have not received enough at this point. Call 310-FIRE (3473) immediately to report a wildfire.
Wildfire Update - Slave Lake Forest Area
There were no new wildfires in the Slave Lake Forest Area in the last 24 hours. In the Forest Protection Area of Alberta in the last 24 hours there have been seven new wildfires.
Otter Lakes Wildfire Update
The Otter Lakes wildfire is located approximately 36 kilometres northwest of Red Earth Creek. Communities are not being threatened. Firefighters, heavy equipment and helicopters continue to fight this wildfire lead by an incident management team.
The Otter Lakes wildfire is now considered as 'being held' which means that given the current weather conditions and resources, the wildfire is not anticipated to grow past its current boundaries. This is a map of the fire boundary from May 9, 2016.
Since April 1st there have been 53 wildfires in the Slave Lake Forest Area and the total area burned over 1996.61 hectares.
Click here to view the Wildfire Situation in Alberta.
Smoke in the Air 
- Smoke from the Fort McMurray fires has moved into the area.
- If you have health concerns regarding smoke inhalation from a wildfire, check the Alberta Health Services website or call 811 for 24 hour health advice.
- The photo below is from the smoke forecast from firesmoke.ca for May 12, 2016.
A fire ban has been issued for the province of Alberta as of 6:00 pm on May 5th.
The fireban will be in place until further notice. Every precaution is being taken to ensure no new preventable fires are started in the coming days that will put additional strain on the province's firefighting resources.
Given the fire situation with hot and dry conditions throughout much of the province and the need to focus all available resources to the response in the Fort McMurray region, it is critical that we do what we can to avoid any other fires breaking out in the province. The OHV Restriction only applies to use on public lands and provincial parks, including designated OHV trails.
- If Albertan's are witnessing restricted OHV activities they can call the Report a Poacher Line at 1-800-642-3800.
- For more information you can visit emergency.alberta.ca
We encourage Albertans to stay up to date on the current fire ban and OHV restriction situation by visiting the Alberta Fire Bans website or call the Wildfire Information Line for updates 1-866-394-3473.
Unless conditions change, you can expect your next wildfire update on May 13th.
Tanis Blocka -Wildfire Information Officer
Mobile: 780.516.1347
Tanis.Blocka@gov.ab.ca
Report Wildfires 310-FIRE (3473)
