Aerial view of EWF015 at 2:30 p.m. on April 16, 2024. The wildfire is now covered in snow and wildland firefighters will return to the site tomorrow to work towards full extinguishment.
EWF015 is now BEING HELD. This means that given current weather conditions and resources, the wildfire is not anticipated to grow past expected boundaries. The wildfire is located 28 km north northeast of Obed Lake, 35 km northwest of Edson and 55 km northeast of Hinton (north of the intersection of the Swanson Road and the Emerson Road) and is estimated to be 10 ha in size.
Today, Alberta Wildfire worked closely with industry and Yellowhead County Fire Department. Heavy equipment, wildland firefighters and additional resources from Yellowhead County and industry were at the incident. Airtankers and helicopters also supported the firefighters with their efforts.
Tomorrow, 28 wildland firefighters, heavy equipment and a helicopter will be assisting with extinguishing the wildfire. The fire crews will begin hotspotting, which consists of digging into the ground, looking and feeling for any hotspots that could re-surface.
This wildfire does not pose a threat to any community. The cause of the wildfire remains under investigation.
TC Energy has issued a statement which can be found on their website: https://www.tcenergy.com/newsroom/statements/
Additional information will be provided tomorrow, April 17, 2024.
This update is best viewed on a web browser or the AB Wildfire Status App | To view previous Edson Forest Area Updates - Click here. Bold indicates new or important information.
Stay informed on fire restrictions and fire bans in your area by checking www.albertafirebans.ca.
EDSON FOREST AREA WILDFIRE UPDATE
The wildfire danger in the Edson Forest Area remains MODERATE. This means that creeping or gentle surface fire is likely. If wildfire is in dead grass and it's windy, the fire could move quickly. Keep watch of your surroundings when working outside. Sparks, hot exhaust or friction can ignite a wildfire in the exposed dry grass and vegetation.
Since January 1, 2024, there have been 14 wildfires in the Edson Forest Area burning a total of 8.30 ha.
There are six "carry over" wildfires from the previous year still listed in our forest area. They are all classified as under control. These wildfires may not be active at the moment but will stay listed until forest officers are certain they are fully extinguished.
It may take several weeks or months before these carryover wildfires are classified as extinguished. A high level heat scan will be conducted with an aircraft when specific ground and moisture conditions are met. Too much snow or rain can cover hotspots which won’t be picked up by the scanner.
None of these wildfires pose a threat to any communities or properties, including the Town of Edson. To learn more about wildfire classifications, click here.
Visit our website and click on the interactive map to view active wildfires, their locations and stats on the wildfire dashboard.
PROVINCIAL WILDFIRE UPDATE
Since January 1, 2024 in the Forest Protection Area, there have been 136 wildfires burning a total of 514 ha.
Last year on this date, there had been 48 wildfires that burnt a total of 82 ha. In the past 5 years on this date, an average of 62 wildfires burnt an average of 92 ha.
FIRE PERMITS ARE REQUIRED
All burning within the Forest Protection Area of Alberta requires a burn permit, with the exception of campfire. You can get your free fire permit by applying online or contact your local forest area office. At this time, the Edson Forest Area is not issuing any new burn permits for machine pile brush piles or any other large debris pile until conditions improve. Any other permits will be issued on a case-by-case basis.
To request your free fire permit, contact the local forest area: (780) 723-8527 or you can request your permit using the online fire permit portal.
We ask that you plan ahead, there may be delays for a forest officer to visit your site. For more information regarding fire permits, you can view our video by clicking here.
FIRESMART YOUR HOME
More so than ever before, Canadians are feeling the direct and indirect impacts of wildfire. There is a growing need for FireSmart education. FireSmart Canada has developed a FREE one-hour course for those who are getting started with FireSmart and want to learn more.
Follow the link: https://firesmartalberta.ca/training/
Albertans are always asked to use caution when working or recreating in the outdoors:
ALBERTA WILDFIRE INFORMATION
For more information, please contact: