With the rain and cooler temperatures, firefighters have made good progress on the active wildfires in the Edson Forest Area.
The smoke settling over Yellowhead County, Town of Hinton and Town of Edson is not produced by a wildfire in our forest area.
If you see smoke or flame in the forest and suspect it's a wildfire, call 310-FIRE (3473) to report it.
This update is best viewed on a web browser or the AB Wildfire Status App | View previous Edson Forest Area Updates. Bold indicates new or important information.
A bucket (aka Bambi bucket) is used to drop water onto wildfires to suppress fire activity (July 26, 2024).
ACTIVE WILDFIRES IN JASPER NATIONAL PARK
An evacuation order has been issued for Jasper National Park and the Town of Jasper. There is no threat to communities in Yellowhead County, the Town of Hinton or the Town of Edson.
Jasper has released a new updates. You can view the latest wildfire update on the Jasper National Park - Wildfire Status Updates.
We want to take a moment to clarify that Parks Canada is the leading agency in all national parks, including Jasper National Park. Jasper National Park has their own wildfire response system and are working closely with the Municipality of Jasper under unified command.
Jasper National Park requested assistance from Alberta Wildfire, which provided ground resources and aircraft. Unfortunately, the aircraft were not effective yesterday despite many efforts from our helicopter and airtanker pilots. The weather, wind and smoke created little-to-no visibility, which prevented access to the wildfire perimeter.
We can assure members of our communities that Alberta Wildfire is working closely with Parks Canada with their wildfire response and providing the additional supports they require.
Update as of July 26 at 2:00 p.m.: The wildfire that is currently located north and south of Jasper, along Highway 16 and highway 93, has not entered into Snaring River Campground, it is at a minimum 25 km from the Alberta-Jasper boundary, 33 km from Brule and 48 km from highway 40 (north and south).
Yellowhead County and Alberta Wildfire will continue to work together to inform residents and industry, as we receive updates from Jasper National Park and the Municipality of Jasper. This will include information on the proximity of the wildfires, once firefighters have had the opportunity to approach the wildfire and provide an accurate location.
Check Alberta Emergency Alerts for up-to-date information on evacuation alerts and orders.
Additional information will be available on the Jasper National Park Facebook page and Municipality of Jasper page for updates.
You can view smoke drifts from the FireSmoke.ca website.
Check Alberta 511 or download the app for road conditions and closures. We will provide an update as soon as new information is available.
NASA FIRMS Fire Information website is a great resource to give an approximate location of hotspots in an area, but cannot always be used to determine specifically where a wildfire is burning. The heat from smoke columns, reflections from water and other heat signatures will appear on the map. It's important to note that the data is based on a mathematical estimate (interpolation) and can often make a wildfire appear larger than it actually is.
Please go to Yellowhead County website or their social media page for recent updates.
Pay attention and be prepared: visit Emergency Preparedness for Wildfires, Evacuations, Livestock to learn more.
EDSON FOREST AREA WILDFIRE UPDATE
The wildfire danger in the Edson Forest Area remains LOW. This means that fire can still ignite but is not expected to spread to deeper vegetation layers or larger fuels, such as trees.
Fire danger is a relative index depicting forest environment conditions, how a fire will behave and how much damage a fire could do. View the forecasted fire danger map.
Since January 1, 2024, there have been 90 wildfires in the Edson Forest Area burning a total of 270 ha. All wildfires are investigated in Alberta. Of those fires 74 have been extinguished, 12 are under control, three are being held and one is out of control.
ACTIVE WILDFIRES IN THE EDSON FOREST AREA
WEATHER FORECAST Tonight, possibilities of scattered rain/thunder showers with wind west-northwest 40 km/h with possible gusts of 70 km/h thought out the night demising in the a.m.
Tomorrow, 21C with 35% humidly, possible rain showers in the evening with winds blowing from the west 15-20 km/h.
EBZ001 is a mutual aid wildfire on the boarder of British Columbia and the Edson Forest Area, within Willmore Wilderness Park. It's currently burning OUT OF CONTROL 56 km southwest of Grande Cache, 98 km west of Rock Lake and 147 km west-northwest of Hinton. It is estimated to be 340 ha in size.
EWF080 is currently burning OUT OF CONTROL. This wildfire is located in Willmore Wilderness Park, 50 km south-southeast of Grande Cache and 80 km west of Hinton. It's estimated to be 70 ha in size.
EWF081 is now BEING HELD, which means that given current weather conditions and resources, the wildfire is not anticipated to grow past expected boundaries. This fire is located 37 km southwest of Edson, 25 km northeast of Robb and 66 km southeast of Hinton. This fire is located beside EWF075 and EWF077. It's estimated to be 9.2 ha in size.
EWF078 is now BEING HELD, which means that given current weather conditions and resources, the wildfire is not anticipated to grow past expected boundaries. The wildfire is located 53 km south-southwest of Edson and 33 km southeast of Robb. The fire is estimated to be 0.56 ha in size. The wildfire was determined to have been caused by lightning.
EWF076 is now BEING HELD, which means that given current weather conditions and resources, the wildfire is not anticipated to grow past expected boundaries. The fire is approximately 24 km south-southwest from Hinton and 7 km south-southeast of Folding Mountain Village. The wildfire is estimated to be 1 ha in size. The wildfire is located on top of a mountain ridge, making it difficult for firefighters to access. The wildfire was determined to have been caused by lightning.
EWF074 is now UNDER CONTROL. It's located 45 km northwest of Edson, 55 km northeast of Hinton and 25 km north of Obed. The fire is estimated to be 8.6 ha in size. The wildfire was determined to be caused by lightning. The wildfire will be monitored for wildfire activity and actioned if required.
EWF072 is now UNDER CONTROL. It is located 56 km northwest of Edson, 60 km northeast of Hinton and 37 km north of Obed. The fire is estimated to be 12.6 ha in size. The wildfire was determined to be caused by lightning.
No communities are threatened by these wildfires at this time.
Learn more about wildfire classifications. View active wildfires, their locations and stats on the interactive map on our Wildfire Status page.
EWF076 is now being held and showing very little activity (July 26, 2024)
A fire ban is in effect as of July 10 in the entire Forest Protection Area of Alberta, including the EDSON FOREST AREA, due to hot and dry conditions.
Cities, towns, villages and summer villages, as well as federal lands (such as national parks), are exempt from this ban. These jurisdictions have the authority to issue their own bans and may have complementary bans in place.
Visit Alberta Fire Bans to see if a fire ban or restriction is in place in your area and learn what is prohibited and allowed under this ban.
The fire ban will remain in effect until conditions improve.
PROVINCIAL WILDFIRE UPDATE
As of 10:00 a.m. on July 26, 2024.
The fire danger is low to moderate across the southern boreal and foothills. It is extreme in the northeast part of the province and the agricultural zone.
Since January 1, 2024 in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta, there have been 977 wildfires burning a total of 550,176 hectares (ha).
Last year, on this date, there were 915 wildfires that burnt a total of 2,178,148 ha. In the past five years on this date, an average of 764 wildfires had burnt an average of 628,243 ha.
For the most up-to-date wildfire information, visit the Alberta Wildfire Status Dashboard.
FIRE PERMITS ARE REQUIRED
Under a FIRE BAN, all permits are cancelled or suspended and no new permits will be issued. To learn more, visit albertafirebans.ca.
DRONES - IF YOU'RE IN THE SKY, WE CAN'T FLY!
There have been reports of drones being flown in and around restricted air space. If there are drones in areas where aircraft or airtankers are being used for wildfire suppression, we are unable to continue those flights until the space is cleared. A drone could strike an aircraft, causing damage to aircraft and severe injuries or fatality of pilots and firefighters. WE WILL NOT RISK LIVES FOR YOUR DRONES.
Before you fly your drone make sure you understand the rules that apply and follow them.
For more information, please visit: Safety for drones and firefighting aircraft or Transport Canada’s legal requirements.
FIRESMART YOUR HOME
FireSmart is a national program that helps Canadians increase their resilience to wildfire. Whether you are a homeowner, resident, business, local government, or Indigenous community, you can take small steps with lasting impacts.
To learn more on how you can protect your home, visit FireSmart Alberta. For farm or acreages, you can download the Farm and Acreage FireSmart magazine.
WILDFIRE PREVENTION TIPS & TOOLS
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.
- If you are working within the Forest Protection of Alberta, you must carry sufficient firefighting equipment as per the Forest Prairie and Protection Act.
- 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.
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:
