Slave Lake Area Update

 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

Wildfire conditions in the Slave Lake Forest Area are VERY HIGH.  The weather in the province will continue to warm in most areas and the temperature will be around 18-19 degrees Celsius with light south easterly winds in the Slave Lake Forest Area.  The forecast as we move into the weekend is for temperatures to continue to rise on the weekend and early next week.  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

There were no new wildfires in the Slave Lake Forest Area in the last 24 hours.  There are currently 15 wildfires in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta.  One is considered out of control, one is being held, seven are under control and six have been turned over to the responsible party.        

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. 

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.

Thanks to Kyle Paulson of Northern Lakes College for the photos he took near Marten Lakes Wilderness camp that shows the smoke from the Fort McMurray fires moving into the Slave Lake Forest Area.

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 14th.  

Tanis Blocka -Wildfire Information Officer

Mobile: 780.516.1347

Tanis.Blocka@gov.ab.ca