EVACUATION ORDERS AND ALERTS ARE IN EFFECT WITHIN THE EDSON FOREST AREA. VISIT YOUR COMMUNITY WEBPAGE, SOCIAL MEDIA AND ALBERTA EMERGENCY ALERT FOR MORE INFORMATION.
If you see smoke or flame outside of an active fire area, report it to 310-FIRE. If you or your property is in immediate danger, call 911.
For road closure information, visit Alberta511 or download the app.
Previous Edson Forest Area Updates - Click here
EWF031 has burnt past its wildfire boundary on the east side of the perimeter near Cynthia. We ask that folks be prepared and pay attention to local authority directions during these uncertain times. The fire remains 18 km west of Cynthia. (June 13, 2023)
BE PREPARED & PAY ATTENTION
MESSAGE FROM YOUR COMMUNITIES
For information on evacuation alerts and orders, please visit Alberta Emergency Alert or visit your communities websites and and their social media pages for updates. For evacuation information for Yellowhead County and Town of Edson, contact the info line: 1-833-334-4630.
NEW WILDFIRE STARTS
Visit our wildfire dashboard to view active wildfires and their stats.
UPDATE ON PEMBINA WILDFIRE - EWF031 EAST SIDE
AS OF JUNE 13, 2023 at 7:30 P.M
Increased fire behaviour is currently being observed along the east side of the fire, west of Highway 753. This area of the fire is currently displaying an organized flame front with elevated rates of spread and intermittent crowning up into the tree canopies. As the thunderstorm passed over this area of the fire, erratic northwest winds continue to cause an increase in fire activity. Conditions on-site have resulted in approximately 350 ha of new fire growth to the east, approximately 10 km south of Eta Lake. Aerial resources including fixed-wing airtankers and bucketing helicopters will respond as weather conditions allow.
This area of the fire is producing thick smoke which is highly visible to the community of Cynthia and to those transiting along Highway 753. Minimal precipitation was received over this area of the fire. However, as temperatures decrease and relative humidity increases into the evening, the fire behaviour and rates of spread will slow significantly. The fire edge remains approximately 18 km to the west of Cynthia.
The Edson Unit Crew is currently on-site conducting small scale hand-ignition controlled burns, with a local forest officer, to the east of the excursion to tie the escaped fire into existing roads and networks. The forest officer indicated that these lines were already established in the event the wildfire did move into that direction and that the ignition is occurring ahead of the escaped fire section. The crews are working quickly to remove the available fuel with the intent to stop the spread of the wildfire, or at least slow it down. They've informed us that the burn is going well.
Small scale hand ignition controlled burns are being conducted ahead of the escaped section of the wildfire, by our Edson Unit Crew on the east side of EWF031 in hopes of stopping or slowing the spread of the fire (June 13, 2023 at 6:30 p.m.)
PEMBINA WILDFIRE COMPLEX | EWF031, EWF039, RWF034, RWF040
AS OF JUNE 13 at 10:30 A.M
EWF031 was detected on May 4 and is located 18 km west of Lodgepole, 5 km northwest of Brazeau Dam and 1.5 km south of Edson. The fire is classified as out of control and is estimated to be 204,284 ha in size.
There are 238 firefighters and 65 support staff being shared between the Pembina Complex of fires. There are 67 pieces of heavy equipment, and 22 helicopters assigned to the complex. In addition, 101 structure protection personnel from the Town of Edson and Yellowhead County have integrated with the complex as a structure protection branch to allow for seamless coordination between Alberta Wildfire and the County.
The international contingent of personnel dedicated to the Pembina Complex includes professionals from Australia, South Africa, United States, Alberta and B.C. Over the coming days, additional support and resources are expected to arrive in support of these ongoing incidents.
Primary objectives at the Pembina Complex remain first responder and public safety. The onsite incident management team continues to work with impacted communities and partners to coordinate response in areas where the wildfire is encroaching on values.
Fire Behaviour
Yesterday, overhead smoke in many areas of the fire tampered fire behaviour. Visible, open flames burned inconsistently through fuels displaying a slow rate of spread and only intermittent combustion up into the tree canopies. Today, temperatures are again expected into the mid-20s with relative humidity around 40%. Winds today are expected 10-15 km/hr from the northeast shifting to 10-15 km/hr from the northwest into the afternoon with the arrival of the cold front.
A low will develop over central Alberta this afternoon bringing gusty winds up to 30 km/hr predominantly from the northwest and, as well, potentially some rainfall totaling approximately 15-30 mm.
Note that wildfire perimeter maps are an estimate based on measurements such as GPS, aerial scanning and satellite imagery. This estimated perimeter can change as more accurate measurements become available. Areas within the fire perimeter may not have been affected by wildfire.
Resources
Crew swing shifts have been established to allow for longer operational coverage on the fireline. Crews will now be working shifts from 0600-2000 and from 1200-0200. This allows crews to work late into the evening when the fire is less aggressive. This evening, an overnight contingent will begin working through the night allowing for 24/7 suppression activities. Additional resources will continue to arrive over the coming days. Aerial support, personnel and heavy equipment continues to strategically work ahead of areas threatening adjacent values.
Fickle Lake Finger – This area of the fire is approximately 2.5 km east of Fickle Lake and approximately 5 km south of Marlboro.
Through the day and into the evening of June 9, this area of the finger grew in the northwest direction, crossing Sundance Road and then progressing across Highway 47. From there, the fire continued to progress parallel and south of the McLeod River on the west side of Highway 47. In a 24-hour timespan on June 9 and through the night, this area of the fire grew by 31 km.
Yesterday, a heavy equipment task force completed guard construction along the west side of this finger from Highway 47 towards the McLeod River. Taking advantage of light northwest winds on-site, the American hot shot crew carried out planned ignition operations to remove unburned fuels between the west flank and this newly built guard. This ignition operation will allow crews to further secure this area of the fire. Crews will continue to mop up and patrol this flank today to further secure it.
Crews are continuing to work along both Highway 16 and Highway 47 corridors to protect values adjacent to the fire. This includes the protection of power poles and working with local industry to ensure critical infrastructure is maintained.
Further south along this finger, where the fire crossed over Sundance Road, planned ignition operations will help to contain 12 kms of the fires edge on this western side of the fire. Once the ignitions are completed, crews will be able to safely access the fire’s edge and further secure this area of the fire. This operation commenced yesterday and was supported by ground personnel and aerial support. Personnel will remain in this area to continue patrol and mop up in this flank today to further secure it.
Willmore Park Finger – This area of the fire is approximately 1.5 km south of Edson.
On June 9, this finger of the fire progressed 18 km in the northwest direction. Late in the evening, the fire spotted across McLeod River and into Willmore Park. Crews are continuing to work with Yellowhead County and the Town of Edson to patrol and set up structure protection as required ahead of the fire in this area.
Fire that grew north of the McLeod River covers an area of approximately 250 hectares. Machine guard has been established ahead of the most northern edge of this finger to limit any further growth in this area under current conditions. Yesterday, crews extinguished to 100 feet into the fire perimeter around the fire that crossed over the McLeod River. Crews will continue to work in this area today to ensure 100% extinguishment.
Carrot Creek Area – This area of the fire is approximately 6 km south of Highway 16 and approximately 10 km southwest of Carrot Creek.
A heavy equipment group has completed guard west of Penn West Road to establish a control line in anticipation for planned ignition operations along the east flank, north of Kwaz Road. Planned ignition operations in this area will only take place should conditions be favourable over the coming days.
East side – This area of the fire is approximately 18 km west of Cynthia.
Heavy equipment has established control lines west of Highway 753, east of the fire. Crews will continue to work with heavy equipment to further construct a containment line from Tidewater Road moving south towards Rat Creek. A heavy equipment task force also completed a new containment line adjacent to the Brazeau Reservoir where 50 ha had previously grown beyond control lines. This southeast area of the fire, adjacent to the Brazeau Reservoir is anticipated to be secured by the end of the day today.
RWF034 is located near the O'Chiese Reserve and classified as out of control. The fire is currently estimated at 87,108 ha in size.
The 150-hectares of fire that crossed over control lines on the east side of Brazeau Reservoir on June 9 has successfully been contained. Crews will continue to patrol this area today and expected to have it fully extinguished by the end of day today.
Overnight infrared aerial scans will continue to be completed over the coming days. Personnel use the infrared scan results to target and extinguish areas of the fire that are displaying residual heat. Yesterday, a flare up occurred along the northwest tip. This area of the fire is burning in highly flammable spruce. Once the temperature drops in the coming days and fire behaviour decreases, crews will work ahead of this area of the fire to establish control lines.
Small hot spots continue to be present well within the fire perimeter and do not pose a threat to nearby communities. The perimeter on the west side of the Brazeau Reservoir has remained quiet.
RWF040 is being actively monitored by firefighters and support staff assigned to the complex who can respond if necessary. The fire is currently estimated to be 5,089 ha in size and remains classified as out of control. Infrared scans continue to be completed to help identify residual heat and help crews identify areas to target to ensure full extinguishment to 100 ft into the fire beyond the control lines.
DEEP CREEK WILDFIRE COMPLEX | EWF035, WCU001, WCU002
AS OF JUNE 13, 2023 at 10:30 A.M - NEW UPDATES AVAILBLE TOMORROW MORNING.
WCU001 was detected on April 29, remains classified as out of control and is estimated to be 6,284 ha in size. WCU002 was detected on the evening of April 29 and is a mutual aid wildfire located on both sides of Highway 22, north of Highway 16. It is estimated to be 2,478 ha in size and remains classified as out of control. EWF035 was detected on May 5 and is located approximately 8 km north of the Niton Junction. It remains classified as out of control and is 19,672 ha in size.
There are 99 firefighters assigned to the Deep Creek Complex, two helicopters, 40 pieces of heavy equipment, and 20 overhead staff that are part of the incident management team and crew supervision. Additional helicopters and heavy equipment groups are available from the Pembina Complex should they be required on any of the fires within the Deep Creek Complex.
WCU001 has had no new growth recorded outside the fire perimeter since the last size update. The wildfire zone is located southeast of Entwistle and west over the Pembina River where it spread north and travelled over Highway 16. The wildfire is parallel with Highway 16 and moved further west where it spread just north of Wildwood and now rests at Chip Lake.
WCU002 has had relatively more hot spots than earlier this week. Activity on WCU001 and WCU002 increased yesterday, but firefighters actively worked alongside bucketing helicopters to promptly action them. Work continued to be done north of Wildwood west of highway 22. Firefighters wrapped up the work they were doing alongside the high-volume pump at the cattle field in this area yesterday. Fire crews and heavy equipment were also working near Range Road 91 on WCU001. They began working on the north end of Range Road 91 earlier this week and continue moving southward, making good progress.
A reminder that deep ash pits and burning peat are dangerous. We continue to ask residents to be extra cautious near burnt areas.
We also ask residents to avoid venturing into forested areas that have been recently affected by wildfire as they can present other hazards such as falling trees, as a result of root systems being compromised by fire.
EWF035: The northern portion of the fire is located 2 km east of Shining Bank Lake, reaching north and east across Township Road 560 and as far south as approximately 2 km north of the Niton Junction railway.
The wildfire is south of Township Road 570, has burnt down to the south and continues to a site two kilometers north of the railroad track in Niton Junction. The fire moved across the Range Road 123 and burnt up to the Lobstick River.
Moderate to high winds with significant gusts pushed smoke and fire spread towards the northwest for the last few days. As a result, we have seen some growth on the southwest side of the perimeter, including one very small area that has made its way northwest across McLeod River. This spot can be seen on the new perimeter available for viewing on the dashboard, and is located west of the junction of East Bank Road and Range Road 132. Firefighters have worked in this area with the support of helicopters bucketing water over the previous days and there is no concern at this time of the spot growing any further.
Yesterday, a flare up occurred on the west flank just south of the McLeod River. Crews will focus on this area of the fire today to ensure no fire crosses pre-established guards.
Woodlands County Fire Department continues to install structural protection on properties within the alert area as a precautionary measure.
Firefighters from all over Canada and the world are working together on on various wildfires in the Edson Forest Area (June 13, 2023).
Previous Edson Forest Area Updates - Click here.
By: Sarah Hall, Pembina Complex. Wildfire Information Officer, BC Wildfire Service. For information related to the Pembina Wildfire Complex and the Deep Creek Wildfire Complex please contact: 780-728-5843.
WILD HAY WILDFIRE COMPLEX | EWF037 and EWF040
The Wild Hay Complex is comprised of two wildfires, EWF037 and EWF040. They are both located south of the Little Smoky River, north of the Wild Hay River and east of Hwy 40 north. The complex is 63 km north of Hinton. EWF040 is producing a lot of smoke that can be seen from far away, including from Hinton.
EWF040 remains out of control and was estimated to be 12,073 ha. It escaped its wildfire boundary on June 7 and is burning mostly to north-northwest from its original area and has crossed the the Berland River and is now burning in both our forest area and the Whitecourt Forest Area. Today, firefighters anticipate that the cold front will shift the winds sometime this afternoon and push the fire towards the south.
EWF037 continues to be classified as being held at 578 ha.
GENERAL INFORMATION ON WILDFIRES IN OUR AREA
AREA CHALLENGES | This has been an unprecedented wildfire season; one that has resulted in many challenges for wildfire staff across the province. In response Alberta has been working with our partners to meet the demands for personnel and equipment needed to fight the numerous wildfires we have seen this spring. In the Edson Forest Area we currently have crews and support staff from all over Canada and the world, including U.S.A., Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, B.C., P.E.I., Newfoundland and Ontario.
WORK OR RECREATE NEAR WILDFIRE AREAS | We urge residents and members of the public to use extra caution near burnt areas. There are many hazards that may not be visible, like deep burning ash pits and falling trees. Burnt trees are a serious hazard, and trees that may look healthy that have green needles or leaves could have burnt out roots under the ground and fall unexpectedly. Keep in mind that trees and powerlines could also fall on the road and block your vehicle. Do not approach powerlines as they could be energized.
SMOKE | Lingering smoke can still be visible in some areas and in affected communities. Smoke inversions can trap air near the ground causing dangerous driving conditions and impacting nearby communities. If you have smoke related health concerns, please contact Alberta 811 or visit Alberta Health Services . Visit firesmoke.ca for current and forecasted smoke.
REPORTING WILDFIRES | We always appreciate people calling in to report wildfires but the large volume of calls we are receiving could be diverting our resources away from other essential tasks. As always, call 310-FIRE if you see smoke or flame that looks new and potentially unreported, but assume that large columns of smoke and burned over areas have already been detected and reported. If you or your property are in immediate danger, call 911.
AIRCRAFT NEAR WATER | Depending on the location of a wildfire, firefighting aircraft may need to use water from nearby lakes as a source of water to help fight wildfires. Often, these aircraft arrive without advanced warning. If you are in the water and see an aircraft coming in to collect water, please move within 30 m from the shore so these aircraft can safely resume firefighting efforts. Aircraft are large and require space to collect water, without interference from people and boats. Help us by staying out of the way when aircraft are around. Click here to learn more.
DRONES | The use of recreational drones over wildfires in Alberta is dangerous, illegal and could result in a fine of up to $15,000* for putting aircraft and people at risk. Please give Alberta firefighters the space they need to do their jobs safely. *Transport Canada
WILDFIRE PREPARDNESS | Learn how you can prepare yourself for a wildfire by clicking here.
WILDFIRE INVESTIGATIONS | Wildfires in Alberta are either human-caused or caused by lightning. Every wildfire in Alberta is investigated and the wildfires mentioned remain under investigation.
WILDFIRE CLASSIFICATIONS | To learn more about wildfire classifications, click here.
WILDFIRE MAPS AND BOUNDARIES | Note that wildfire perimeter maps are an estimate based on measurements such as GPS, aerial scanning and satellite imagery. This estimated perimeter can change as more accurate measurements become available. Areas within the fire perimeter may not have been affected by wildfire. Visit our Wildfire Dashboard to view active wildfires and their stats on the wildfire dashboard. Click on "view interactive map". You can choose different basemaps by selecting the four squares icon, or layers by clicking on the three sheets of paper on the top right corner.
**Bold indicates new or important information.
We encourage the public and industry to download the AB Fire Bans app or visit the website to learn more about prohibited and allowed actives under this restriction. If you are looking for information regarding crown land, click on the area you plan to visit and not the nearest town. Be advised that Alberta Parks has it's own set of fire ban levels, please visit their website for more information.
The fire restriction will remain in effect until conditions improve. To view the Alberta Wildfire Fire Ban video, click here.
Albertans are always asked to use caution when working or recreating in the outdoors:
- Before you burn it, get your fire permit. Fire permits in Alberta.
- Clear debris from hot spots on your off-highway vehicle.
- Ensure your campfire is out - soak it, stir it, soak it again.
- Before you head out this weekend, check out the albertafirebans.ca website or download the app to stay informed.
- For road closure information, please visit 511.alberta.ca
- For information regarding smoke in the area, you can visit firesmoke.ca
- NASA FIRMS Fire Information website is a great resource to give an idea of the location of wildfires in the area, but note that the data is based on interpolation and often can make the wildfire look larger then it actually is.
- To view the provincial wildfire danger map, click here.
ALBERTA WILDFIRE INFORMATION
- Subscribe to the Edson Forest Area wildfire update to receive an email when new information is posted.
- Download the Alberta Wildfire App for Apple and Android device.
- Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
For more information, please contact:
