Busy Week For Firefighters, Fire Advisory in Place

Week in Review

It has been a very busy week for firefighters in Whitecourt Forest Area. Over the last week, they assisted with a wildfire near the town ofMayerthorpe that destroyed a train bridge and another that impacted the Town ofWhitecourt. Our firefighters are showing great resiliency and dedication, continuing to do the hard work of extinguishing wildfires, while responding to new ones.

Image: Top left- Impacts of the Mayerthorpe Area Wildfre on the train bridge located west of the Town of Mayerthorpe. Top Right - Firefighter continuing the hard work of extinguishing the Duffield Area Wildfire that is burning deep into the ground. Bottom - Helicopter lifting off after filling a water bucket on the outskirts of the town of Whitecourt. It was assisting in the fight against the wildfire located within the Town of Whitecourt.

Wildfire Update

Whitecourt Forest Area Wildfire Update | April 30 @ 10:00 a.m.

In the last 24 hours, there have been two new wildfires, one has been turned over to the responsible party and the other one is in the Anselmo Area Wildfire.

Anselmo Area Wildfire (WWF-014) started on April 28 and remains UNDER CONTROL at 1.50 hecatres in size. It is located just over 12 kilometres west of the Town of Mayerthorpe. Firefighters will continue to monitor the wildfire until it is extinguished.

Firefighters are also assisting other municipalities outside of the Forest Protection Area with two wildfires:

Duffield Area Wildfires (WCU-001/WIR-001) these two wildfires are located in the area of Duffield, Alberta. Assistance was requested by both Parkland County and Wabamun Indian Reserve No. 133A on April 17. Currently, 80 firefighters are assisting with these wildfires.
Onoway Area Wildfire (WCU-002) is located approximately 24 kilometres north west of St. Albert, Alberta. Assistance was requested at 10:00 pm on April 18 by Lac Ste. Anne County. There are 25 firefighters assisting with this wildfire.

To date, there have been 15 wildfires in the Whitecourt Forest Area which have burned 8.76 hectares. Firefighters, helicopters and heavy equipment are strategically located across the Area to quickly respond to any new wildfires.

Provincial Wildfire Update | April 30 @10:00 a.m.

In the last 24 hours there has been 11 new wildfires in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta. Four are under control, three have been turned over to the responsible party, and four have been extinguished.
There are currently 19 wildfires in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta. Ten are under control, and nine have been turned over to the responsible party.
Since April 1, 2016, Alberta has recorded 269 wildfires in the Forest Protection Area that have burned a total of 554.25 hectares.
Agriculture and Forestry is currently assisting with five wildfires outside the Forest Protection Area.

For more information on wildfires across the province visit wildfire.alberta.ca.

Wildfire Hazard

Warm temperatures and lack of rain, keep the wildfire hazard at VERY HIGH for the Whitecourt Forest Area. Today, we are expected to reach a high of 16 degrees Celsius, wind will be northwest in direction at 20 kilometres per hour. The temperature will rise for Sunday and there is no rain in the forecast for the coming week. The risk of wildfire will continue to climb until there is a significant amount of water on the ground.

Areas of dry grass and branches pose the most significant risk of wildfire. Wildfire in these areas will start easily and spread quickly, making it very hard for firefighters to control.

Fire Advisory in Effect

Due to the warm, dry weather trend, a Fire Advisory is in place for the Whitecourt Forest Area.

Current Fire Permits are cancelled, except for those issued for seasonal burn barrels and incinerators. Please check the conditions of your permit before you burn.
No new permits will be issued until conditions change.
Safe campfires are still allowed but are not recommended until weather conditions change.

The Advisory will remain in place until conditions improve. If you have questions about Fire Permits within the Whitecourt Forest Area, call 780-778-7272.

Burning activities may become restricted in the coming days if conditions worsen. For more information on Fire Advisories, Restrictions or Bans across the province, visit AlbertaFirebans.ca.

Learn more about the Fire Ban System and how it is used to notify you of potential impacts for burning or camping.