Fort McMurray Forest Area Wildfire Update

The wildfire danger level is VERY HIGH for the entire Fort McMurray Forest Area.

A fire advisory is in effect for the Fort McMurray Forest Area. See details below.

On average, 67 per cent of wildfires are caused by humans. Everyone plays a role in preventing wildfires. Take the wildfire pledge to reduce wildfires and enter to win a helicopter tour!

Fire Advisory banner

Due to the current and forecasted Fire Weather Indices, the Fort McMurray Forest Area will be under a fire advisory.

Under this advisory no new fire permits will be issued until conditions improve. All existing permits remain valid; however, renewals will be evaluated on a case by case basis. Safe wood campfires are not affected by this advisory.

Allowed:

Safe wood campfires *
Backyard fire pits
Portable propane fire pits
Gas or propane stoves and barbecues
Catalytic or infrared-style heaters

*Safe wood campfires - should be within a metal, brick, or rock fire ring. They are required to:

a) Be on rock, gravel, sand, or another non-combustible surface that extends at least one meter around the fire.
b) Have a responsible person in attendance to keep the fire under control at all times and to extinguish before leaving.
c) Have on hand enough water on site to extinguish the fire. Safe wood campfires on private lands include private land campgrounds and private land recreation areas; and
d) Municipalities, Parks, and protected areas may have additional fire safety requirements.

The fire advisory will remain in effect until conditions improve. Stay up-to-date with fire advisory, restriction or ban at the Alberta Fire Bans website.

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(Captured from firesmoke.ca showing heavy smoke is expected for the next few days, August 14, 2024)

Due to heavy smoke today, there has been minimal fire activity on all of the complexes in the Fort McMurray Forest Area. We expect smoke to linger for the next few days, check out FireSmoke website to see the smoke forecast.

Smoke can help to trap humidity near the ground, which typically causes lessened fire behaviour. Heavy smoke can also work against us, as aircraft may have difficulty flying without good visibility.

MCX002 - Cattail Complex

Wildfires MWF047, MWF077, and MWF079 are part of the Cattail Lake Complex. All three wildfires were caused by lightning and are classified as being held. Being held means that given current weather conditions and resources, the wildfire is not anticipated to grow past expected boundaries.

MWF047 is 105,900 ha in size and is located 53 km east of Fort McKay, 68 km northeast of Fort McMurray, and 6 km northeast of local industrial facilities.

MWF077 is 17,765 ha in size and 38 km northeast of Fort McMurray, 46 km from Fort McKay, and 6.5 km from local industrial facilities.

MWF079 is 7,000 ha in size and is located near the Saskatchewan border.

MCX003 - Algar Lake Complex

Wildfires MWF069, MWF086, and LWF165 make up the Algar Complex.

MWF069 is classified as under control and is located 10 km west of Highway 63 and 40 km southwest of Fort McMurray. It is 17,183 ha in size.

MWF086 is classified as being held and is located 37 km southwest of Fort McMurray. It is 2,251 ha in size.

LWF165 is classified as under control and is located 20 km south of Crow Lake. It is 1,166 ha in size.

MCX004 - Rabbit Lake Complex

Wildfires MWF060, MWF074, and MWF078 are part of this complex.

There has been some significant fire activity on MWF060 over the past couple of days, mainly towards the north and south.

MWF060 is classified as out of control and is located about 25 km northeast of Chipewyan Lake. It is estimated to be 20,219 ha in size. This wildfire was caused by lightning.

MWF074 is classified as being held and is located northeast of MWF060. It is 297 ha in size and was caused by lightning.

MWF078 is classified as being held and is located about 25 km east of Chipewyan Lake. It is 2,635 ha in size.

FORT MCMURRAY FOREST AREA WILDFIRE UPDATE

There are currently 22 active wildfires in the Fort McMurray Forest Area. Currently, one is out of control, 14 are being held, and seven are under control.

Since January 1, 2024, 96 wildfires have burned approximately 251,702 hectares (ha) in the Fort McMurray Forest Area.

MWF096 was discovered yesterday and is located approximately 33 km southwest of Fort McMurray. It is classified as being held and is estimated to be 0.20 ha in size. This wildfire was caused by lightning.

MWF095 was discovered August 14 and is located approximately 12 km northeast of Fort McMurray. It is classified as being held and is estimated to be 0.1 ha in size. This wildfire was human-caused.

MWF094 was discovered August 12 and is located approximately 24 km southwest of Fort McMurray. It is classified as being held and is estimated to be 0.5 ha in size. The cause of this wildfire is under investigation.

MWF045 was discovered on July 2 and is approximately 23 km south of the Wood Buffalo National Park border. It is classified as being held and is estimated to be 2,300 ha in size. This wildfire was caused by lightning.

MWF061 was discovered on July 7. It is approximately 110 km northeast of Fort McKay and 13 km from the Birch Mountain Wildland Provincial Park. It is classified as being held and is estimated to be 40 ha in size. This wildfire was caused by lightning.

MWF063 was discovered on July 9 and is 60 km southwest of Camsell Portage (Saskatchewan) and 65 km northeast of Fort Chipewyan. It is classified as being held and is estimated to be 11,476 ha in size. This wildfire was caused by lightning.

MWF068 was discovered on July 10 and has crossed over into the High Level and Slave Lake forest area borders. It is classified as being held and is estimated to be 30,100 ha in size. This wildfire was caused by lightning.

MWF080 was discovered on July 14 and is located in the area between Gipsy Lake, Garson Lake and the Alberta/Saskatchewan border. It is classified as being held and is estimated to be 3,570 ha in size. This wildfire was caused by lightning.

MWF043 was discovered on July 3 and is approximately 22 km northwest of Bitumount. It is classified as under control at 900 ha in size. This wildfire was caused by lightning.

MWF056 was discovered on July 3 and is located approximately 41 km north of the Cattail Complex (MCX002). It is classified as under control at 1908 ha in size . This wildfire was caused by lightning.

MWF091 was discovered on July 25. It is located 10 km southwest of Fort McMurray and 27 km west of Gregoire Lake Estates. It is classified as under control at 2 ha in size. 12 firefighters, supported by two helicopters, are working on this wildfire. This wildfire was caused by lightning.

MWF093 was discovered on August 11 and is approximately 15 km southwest of Fort McMurray. It is classified as under control at 0.3 ha in size. The cause of this wildfire is under investigation.

MWF064 was discovered on July 9 and is located on Bustard Island, approximately 2 km northwest of the Bushland Island remote forest recreational reserve. The island is 23 km northeast of Fort Chipewyan. It is classified as under control at 3.9 ha in size. The cause of this wildfire is under investigation.

MWF081 was discovered on July 16. It is located on Burntwood Island, 39 km northeast of Fort Chipewyan. It is classified as under control and is estimated to be 779 ha in size. This wildfire was caused by lightning.

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See the latest fire danger maps.

Last chance to enter to win a helicopter ride! Pledge to reduce wildfire risk in the Fort McMurray Forest Area and be entered to win!

More than 67 per cent of wildfires are human-caused. Do your part to prevent wildfires:

I will always use fire responsibly and safely.
I will fully extinguish my campfire by soaking it, stirring it and soaking it again.
I will stop and check my off-highway vehicle regularly for built-up debris while riding off-road.
I will report any smoke I see in the forested areas to 310-FIRE.
I will be an ambassador for fire safety when enjoying Alberta’s forested areas with friends and family.

Enter the wildfire pledge. A winner will be drawn on August 16th.

Report wildfires 2022

If you see smoke in the forest, always be sure to call 310-FIRE to report it.

You can now call right from the Alberta Wildfire app. Download for Apple or Android today!

When you're done with your campfire, always remember to soak it, stir it and soak it again.

Let the fire burn down before you plan on putting it out. Spread the embers within the fire pit, then add water or loose dirt, and stir.
Expose any material still burning. Add more water and stir again until you can no longer see smoke or steam. Do not bury your fire as the embers may continue to smoulder and can re-emerge as a wildfire.
Repeat until your campfire is cool to the touch.
If your fire is out, you should not be able to feel any heat from the ashes.

See campfire safety brochure.

Alberta Fire Bans_V2 2022