Fort McMurray Forest Area Wildfire Update

The wildfire danger level is extreme in the Fort McMurray Forest Area.

A fire restriction is in effect for the entire Fort McMurray Forest Area.

Exercise extreme caution when recreating outdoors. Wildfires can start easily and spread quickly in these hot and dry conditions.

67% of wildfires are human-caused, everyone plays a role in preventing wildfires. Take the wildfire pledge to reduce wildfires and be entered to win a helicopter tour! Go to alberta.ca/wildfire-pledge.

Wildfire MCX002 - Cattail Complex

There are several wildfires that are all being managed together under MCX002. This includes MWF046, MWF047, MWF048, MWF051 and MWF054. All of these wildfires are classified as under control, except for MWF047. All of these wildfires were caused by lightning.

MWF047 is the largest wildfire that's included in this complex, it is estimated to be 28,000 ha in size and is classified as out of control. This wildfire grew significantly yesterday towards the north/northeast.

Even with the wildfire growth, it did not get any closer to any communities or industrial facilities. This wildfire is still approximately 8 km northeast of industrial facilities, about 50 km northeast of Fort McKay and 70 km northeast of Fort McMurray.

There are 225 personnel currently working on this complex; including 110 firefighters, 30 incident management team members and support staff, and the rest include contractors and pilots. We have 18 helicopters, with most of them completing bucketing operations and 16 pieces of heavy equipment working on day or night operations. We had an incident management team arrive yesterday and more resources are expected to follow over the next few days.

Overnight operations continue each night and have crews working on completing the containment lines on the west and south edges of this wildfire.

Today, we expect similar temperatures as yesterday. A high of 35 degrees Celsius and a relative humidity of 30 per cent. We anticipate winds out of the southwest at 15 km/h. There's a chance of thundershowers, however it forecasts only 1-4 mm, which would make minimal impact on the wildfire. The forecast suggests crossover conditions, which is conducive to extreme fire behaviour. We expect another challenging firefighting day today.

Since winds appear to be favourable for crews to continue work on the south and west perimeter of the wildfire, we are hoping to make good progress on the wildfire today. However, if winds shift, we have plans in place to remove crews if it were to become unsafe. Heavy equipment operators will continue to strengthen dozer guards to create firebreaks and helicopters will continue to bucket on the perimeter as long as it's safe to do so.

Another high level scan is planned for tonight and will identify perimeter growth and hotspots. These scans are crucial for prioritizing resources to the parts of the wildfire that require it most.

To see the most recent map available, click here. *For today's map, the size showing is from yesterday. The current size is 28,000 hectares.

(MWF047 grew significantly yesterday towards the north/northeast and not towards any communities or industrial facilities. July 9, 2024)

WILDFIRE SAFETY MESSAGES

DANGEROUS TREES | Be extra cautious near burnt areas and avoid forested areas that have been recently affected by wildfire. Hazards remain from deep ash pits, burning peat and falling trees or branches, especially if windy.

SMOKE | Lingering smoke may still be visible in some areas and in affected communities. Smoke inversions can trap air near the ground causing dangerous driving conditions and poor air quality. Please use extra caution when driving in smoky conditions. To see forecasted smoke, please visit FireSmoke.ca. If you have smoke related health concerns, please visit or contact Alberta 811.

DRONES | The use of recreational drones over wildfires in Alberta is dangerous, illegal and could result in an automatic court appearance for putting aircraft and people at risk. Please give firefighters the space they need to do their jobs safely. *Transport Canada.

Fire Restriction banner

A fire restriction is in place for the Fort McMurray Forest Area.

Under this restriction:

Existing fire permits are restricted, suspended or cancelled and no new fire permits will be issued.
Safe wood campfires within fire rings in campgrounds are allowed.

Prohibited on public lands, including backcountry and random camping areas:

All outdoor wood fires.
Fires fueled exclusively by charcoal briquettes.
The use of fireworks and exploding targets.

Allowed in designated campgrounds on private and public land, designated day use areas and on privately owned land:

Safe wood campfires.
Backyard fire pits, charcoal briquette barbeques.
Propane/ natural gas-powered appliances CSA approved or UL certified.

Never leave a campfire unattended. Soak it, stir it and soak it again until cool to the touch to ensure it is extinguished.

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

The fire restriction will remain in effect until conditions improve.

For more information, visit Alberta Fire Bans.

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See the forecasted fire danger map

FORT MCMURRAY WILDFIRE UPDATE

Since January 1, 2024 there have been 65 wildfires in the Fort McMurray Forest Area, burning a total of approximately 60,741 hectares (ha).

MWF065 was discovered July 9 and is located approximately 7 km southeast of Highway 63 and approximately 3.4 km from Maqua Lake. It is classified as out of control and is estimated to be 13 ha in size. Today, we have 17 firefighters and two helicopters working on this wildfire.

MWF060 (Rabbit Lake Wildfire) was discovered July 5 and is located approximately 8 km east of the Slave Lake Forest Area border and the Fort McMurray Forest Area border. It is classified as out of control and is estimated to be 3500 ha in size. Currently, we have 29 firefighters and 7 helicopters working on this wildfire. Structure protection teams have been deployed to protect the closest values at risk.

MWF043 was discovered on July 2 and is located approximately 18 km west of the Athabasca River and 56 km south of the southern Wood Buffalo National Park border. It is classified as being held and is estimated to be 32 ha in size. This wildfire was caused by lightning.

MWF045 was discovered on July 2 and is located approximately 23 km south of the Wood Buffalo National Park border. It is classified as being held and is estimated to be 2300 ha in size. This wildfire was caused by lightning.

MWF056 was discovered July 3 and is located approximately 41 km north of the cattail complex (MCX002). It is classified as being held and is estimated to be 29 ha in size. This wildfire was caused by lightning.

MWF057 was discovered July 3 and is located approximately 65 km east of Fort McKay and approximately 70 km northeast of Fort McMurray. It is classified as being held and is estimated to be 13.8 ha in size. This wildfire was caused by lightning.

MWF010 was discovered on April 21 and is located near the Birch Mountains. It is classified as under control at 7,976 ha in size. This means that this wildfire is contained and will be extinguished. This wildfire was human-caused.

MWF017 was discovered on May 9 and is located southwest of Fort McMurray. It is classified as under control at 18,593 ha. This means that this wildfire is contained and will be extinguished. The cause of this wildfire remains under investigation.

For up-to-date information on the current wildfire situation, visit Alberta Wildfire Status.

DRONES are not allowed to be flown within 5 nautical miles (or 9.3 kilometers) of a wildfire.

If you fly a drone within this distance of a wildfire, it immediately halts firefighting operations because it is not safe to be flying with drones in the air. The penalty for interfering with wildfire control operations can land you a court appearance, for more information go to the Government of Alberta website.
For more information from Transport Canada about drones near wildfires, visit Transport Canada's website.

310-FIRE flames trees

Over the past few days, we have had more than 20 new wildfire starts and most of them were caused by lightning.

Now that we are experiencing more lightning, this is a good reminder of how essential it is for everyone to report any wildfires they see in the forest to 310-FIRE.

The sooner a potential wildfire is reported, the sooner we can get a crew out to assess and start working on it and send more resources if required. This is critical for ensuring an efficient response to any wildfires that start.

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