Dry and warm conditions today for the  Whitecourt Wildfire Management Area (WWMA) and the wildfire hazard is now EXTREME. Winds will be gusting to 35km/hr today with a temperature of 24 degrees Celsius. There is no significant rain in the forecast so the amount of moisture in the grasses, leaves and branches on the ground is very low, making them extremely flammable. 

What does EXTREME mean? Under these conditions, control of a wildfire is extremely difficult. A fire will act in an explosive manner and directly attacking a wildfire is rarely possible. With no lighting in the forecast, any fire that starts will be human-caused which is 100% preventable. Now more than ever, it is very important to prevent a wildfire from starting. We encourage everyone to be diligent while working, recreating and using Off-Highway Vehicles in forested areas.

3 things you need to know...

1. FIRE ADVISORY       

A Fire Advisory issued for the Whitecourt Wildfire Management Area on May 12 and continues to be in place.

This means that all fire permits are suspended with the exception of burn barrels. No new fire permits will be issued until conditions improve. Burn barrel permit holders must follow the conditions of their permit. Winds will be gusting up to 35km/hr today which exceeds the wind limit on your permit.

Safe campfires are currently allowed, but may be restricted in the coming days if conditions worsen. For more information click here.

Check www.albertafirebans.ca for up-to-date advisories, restrictions and bans in surrounding areas.

2. Wildfires (1000hrs, May 20, 2015)

Currently, there is one wildfire in the Whitecourt WMA. WWF-017 is just over 47 km southeast of the town of Swan Hill and is under control.The fire burnt 12.73 hectares; currently 8 firefighters and one helicopter are working to identify hotspots and put them out.

Since April 1, 2015, there have been 24 wildfires in the Whitecourt WMA which have burned 25.38 hectares.

There are 20 wildfires burning in Alberta. One is out of control, 13 are under control and five have been turned over to the responsible party. Since April 1, 2015, Alberta has recorded 565 new wildfires that have burned a total of 2,066.98 hectares.

Fires of note: SWF-055 is considered out of control and is located approximately 100 km north west of Slave Lake. 16 firefighters and six helicopters are fighting this 120 hectare wildfire. For more information go to the Slave Lake  wildfire update.

3. How can you help us?

If you are using an off-highway vehicle during your day, periodically check your vehicle for the build up of grass, branches and other debris. This material can catch fire and drop from your vehicle as you drive; acting like a drip-torch it can start a wildfire.

Never leave a campfire unattended and make sure to properly extinguish the fire by soaking it, stirring it and soaking it again. Learn more here.

Did you know that we can predict how a wildfire will move? Take a look at this image:

Using a fire growth model, our wildfire specialist is able to create a computer simulation of how a wildfire is likely to spread given the current hazard, weather and vegetation type.  This particular simulation shows an abandoned campfire escaping in the Timue area with today's EXTREME wildfire conditions.

This simulated fire escaped at 1430hrs the image above is of the fire at 2130hrs. This shows how quickly a wildfire could spread in the current dry, hot and windy conditions. To give you an idea of how volatile a fire would be right now, usually a fire of this nature would spread at 5meters/minute under today's conditions it would move at 37meters/minute!  

Lighting a campfire may seem innocent but if not properly extinguished, it can spread into a large wildfire very fast. Please do your part to prevent wildfires if you have a campfire: soak it, stir it and soak it again until the ashes are cool to the touch.

For more information about the many ways ESRD uses technology to help predict, prevent and control wildfires, visit our website.

If you have any questions, please contact me. Unless conditions change, you can expect your next wildfire update May 21st.

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Shannon Stambaugh | Wildfire Information Officer

Whitecourt Wildfire Management Area
office: 780.778.7273
mobile: 780-706-5336
Shannon.Stambaugh@gov.ab.ca