Fort McMurray Area Update

The fire danger in the Fort McMurray Forest Area is overall VERY HIGH, with the exception of the area surrounding Lake Athabasca and to the north where the fire danger is MODERATE. 

Please use caution when working or recreating in the outdoors. Always ensure you fully extinguish your campfire and if you see smoke or flame in the forest, call 310-FIRE (3473). 

Helicopter gets prepped for another day of bucketing operations on MWF031 (July 18, 2022). 

North of the Lake Athabasca - Fort Chipewyan 

A fire ban is in effect within the Fort McMurray Forest Area for the area north of Lake Athabasca. Please visit albertafirebans.ca to see a map of the exact area covered under this fire ban. 

 Under this ban:

• all existing fire permits are suspended.

 Prohibited:

• wood campfires on public land, private land and provincial campgrounds
• backyard fire pits
• charcoal briquette barbecues
• fireworks and exploding targets

Allowed:

• propane or natural gas powered appliances
• indoor wood fires

If you see a wildfire, report it immediately by calling 310-FIRE. 

The fire ban will remain in effect until conditions improve. 

To view the ministerial order and maps, click here.

Remainder of the Fort McMurray Forest Area - South of Lake Athabasca 

Due to current and forecasted weather conditions a Fire Advisory will be put in effect starting at 1:00pm today July 18^rd, 2022 for the remainder of the Fort McMurray Forest Area south of Lake Athabasca. Please visit albertafirebans.ca to see a map of the exact area covered under this Fire Advisory.  

Under this advisory no new fire permits will be issued.

What is allowed:

• Safe wood campfires in campground (within fire rings), backyards, or random camping areas 
• Barbeques, including charcoal briquettes 
• Portable propane fire pits 
• Gas or propane stoves and barbecues 
• Catalytic or infrared-style heaters 

WILDFIRE OF NOTE 

MWF031 was detected on June 25 and is located 21 km north of Fort Chipewyan. The fire remains on the edge of Flett Lake and is growing towards the north and east. The wildfire is estimated to be 44,953 hectares (ha) in size and was caused by lightning. It remains classified as being held. This wildfire does not threaten any community at this time. The fire has not grown towards the south and therefore has not gotten closer to Fort Chipewyan or the airport. 

Firefighters continue to work on strengthening the containment lines to the northern and eastern flank of the fire. While growth has happened to the north and east, the south containment line is still a priority. Resources are being deployed to the north and east flank to help strengthen containment on that side. They were again assisted by helicopter bucketing operations.

Another group of firefighters has completed structure protection. They continue to maintain equipment such as pumps, hoses and sprinkler systems on buildings identified as being directly threatened by the wildfire. The structure protection plan for Fort Chipewyan, Allison Bay and Dog Head is complete.  

Today, MWF031 received approximately 5mm of rain.

Tomorrow, temperatures are expected to be a max of 20C and the relative humidity will be around 45%. Winds are expected to come from the northwest at 30 km/h, gusts up to 45 km/h. Rain and thundershowers are expected tomorrow.      

Tomorrow, firefighters and helicopters will continue their indirect attack on the wildfire. A total of 50 firefighters and six helicopters are assigned to wildfire MWF031 and stationed in Fort Chipewyan. Additional aircraft are available if needed in Fort McMurray. 

Local aircraft operators, please be advised that a “notice to airmen” NOTAM is in effect for the area surrounding wildfire MWF031. 

FORT MCMURRAY WILDFIRE UPDATE

Since January 1, 2022, there have been 56 wildfires in the Fort McMurray Forest Area, burning a total of 80,647 ha. 

MWF015 was detected on June 12 and located 24 km southeast of Fort Fitzgerald, 45 km southeast of Fort Smith and 115 km north of Fort Chipewyan. It is currently estimated to be 3,162 ha in size and classified as being held. This wildfire was caused by lightning. 

MWF018 was detected on June 13 and is located 28 km southeast of Fort Fitzgerald, 43 km southeast of Fort Smith and 90 km north of Fort Chipewyan. It is currently estimated to be 2,842 ha in size and classified as being held. This wildfire was caused by lightning. 

MWF022 was detected on June 13 and is located 60 km southeast of Fort Fitzgerald and 62 km northeast of Fort Chipewyan. It is currently estimated to be 20,470 ha in size and classified as being held. The fire growth experienced was towards the south and east, therefore, does not threaten any communities. This wildfire was caused by lightning. 

MWF025 was detected on June 14 and is located 30 kilometers east of Fort McMurray. It is currently estimated to be 1554 ha in size and is classified as being held. This wildfire was caused by lightning. The wildfire is moving east and away from the city of Fort McMurray. 

MWF032 was detected on June 26 and is located nine kilometers east of Gypsy Lake. It is currently estimated to be 3,204 ha in size and is classified as being held. This wildfire was caused by lightning.

MWF033 was detected on June 30 and is located 30 km southwest of Fort Fitzgerald and 110 km north of Fort Chipewyan. It is currently estimated to be 1,863 ha in size and classified as being held. The fire has reached the west side of Leland Lake. The cause of this wildfire is currently under investigation. 

MWF034 was detected on June 30 and is located 50 km southeast of Fort Fitzgerald and 90 km north of Fort Chipewyan. It is currently estimated to be 1,301 ha in size and classified as being held. The cause of this wildfire is currently under investigation. 

MWF046 was detected on July 13 and is located approximately 13 km north of Bitumount Oil Field Site. It is currently estimated to be 790 ha in size and is classified as being held. The fire grew towards the northeast, therefore, it has not come any closer to the Bitumount Oil Field Site. Currently, there are three helicopters, three dozers, and approximately 49 staff working on containing this fire. This wildfire was caused by lightning. 

MWF052 was detected on July 16th and is located approximately 42 km north of Fort McKay. It is currently estimated to be 182 ha in size and is classified as out-of-control. There are 18 firefighters and 2 two helicopters actioning the wildfire. This wildfire was caused by lightning.

Since these wildfires are located in remote areas where they do not threaten communities or resources, we allow the wildfires to play out their natural role onto the landscape under the watchful eye of experienced fire managers. Using this wildfire management strategy has many benefits. It re-introduces fire onto the landscape, creates a break in the continuous fuels, reduces the intensity of the fire, provides safety zones for our firefighting crews to work from and reduces the cost of fighting these wildfires.  

These wildfires are actively monitored by firefighters on a regular basis and do not threaten any communities at this time.  

To learn more about the classification of wildfires, please click here.

To view the wildfires on a map, check out the new wildfire dashboard. It provides up-to-date wildfire information at the click of a button. This interactive tool displays important statistics on the number of active wildfires in the province, sizes, locations, suspected causes and more.

PROVINCIAL WILDFIRE UPDATE

Aerial view of MWF031 perimeter (July 17, 2022). 

To view the map of MWF031 in full size, click here. 

To view a map of all the wildfires in the area north of Lake Athabasca, click here.

SMOKE

Smoke from wildfires in Alberta and elsewhere in North America may drift into the Fort McMurray Forest Area. To view the Air Quality Health Index for your location, visit the interactive map by clicking here. Visit firesmoke.ca to view the smoke forecast and see where the smoke is coming from.

If you have smoke related concerns, we recommend that you visit the Alberta Health FAQs on wildfire smoke by clicking here. 

A MESSAGE FROM THE REGIONAL MUNICIPALITY OF WOOD BUFFALO

There are currently no threats to any communities at this time.

Please visit www.rmwb.ca/fortchip for the latest joint update from the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, Mikisew Cree First Nation, Fort Chipewyan Métis and the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.

In the event of an evacuation alert or order within the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, we recommend that you download Alertable - Emergency Notifications.

To learn more about how you can protect your property from wildfire, visit the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo FireSmart website: www.rmwb.ca/en/fire-and-emergency-services/firesmart

Managing emergencies is all about planning for them in advance. Once a year, a review of the REMP and CEMPs is done to ensure they reflect all the needs of our region. To learn more about the Regional Emergency Management Plan, click here.

REQUEST A FIRE PERMIT

Wildfire season in Alberta is from March 1 until October 31. During wildfire season, you are required to have a fire permit if you plan on burning in the Forest Protection Area, with the exception of a campfire.

To request a free fire permit online, visit the new portal. You will need a MyAlberta Digital ID to access the portal. Please note that you can still request your permit from the Fort McMurray forest office by calling 780-743-7125.

For more information regarding fire permits, you can view our video by clicking here.

CONTACT