Fort McMurray Forest Area Wildfire Update

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

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

To see where the smoke is coming from, check out the FireSmoke website.

Hangingstone Provincial Recreation Area and Richardson Wildland Park have been closed to the public effective immediately.

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 MWF047, MWF077 and MWF079. All of these wildfires are classified as out of control, except for MWF079 which is being held. All of these wildfires were caused by lightning.

There are 251 personnel currently working on this complex, including 137 firefighters, 63 incident management team members, support staff and contractors. We have 19 helicopters and 30 pieces of heavy equipment working this complex.

MWF047- estimated to be 105,515 ha in size. See the most recent map available.

Currently, MWF047 is approximately:

6.8 km northeast of industrial facilities.
53 km northeast of Fort McKay.
68 km northeast of Fort McMurray.

MWF077- estimated to be 19,112 ha in size. See the most recent map available.

Currently, MWF077 is approximately:

6.7 km south of industrial facilities.
46 km east of Fort McKay.
48 km northeast of Fort McMurray.

Today, there was no significant growth on this complex.

Today, crews and helicopters are a bit delayed in getting out to the fireline. The significant smoke cover is helping to keep humidity higher which helps lower fire behaviour. However, if the smoke clears we anticipate fire activity will pick up.

Crews have made very good progress on this complex and the lines they have worked closest to values have so far held. This work will continue tomorrow. Helicopters bucketed today, but because of not ideal visibility, we had less helicopters out to reduce the chance of airspace conflicts. They had proper visibility to fly, but reducing the amount of aircraft decreases the risk of a conflict.

For the last few days, the heavy smoke in the air has caused fire activity to decrease significantly. However, conditions are still concerning if the smoke were to clear. We are staying aware of the ever-evolving situation and are not getting complacent with the calmer days we've had.

Over the past couple of days, over 150 power poles have been sprayed with retardant to help slow fire growth if it were to get close to critical infrastructure. Today, we continue to assess new areas where our retardant application truck may be able to put down lines of retardant. This vehicle can spray retardant into the ditch or on the ground near power poles and is an effective way to add more retardant in key locations in a more precise way than with airtankers. We've completed this work in the most critical areas and will determine the next most critical areas.

Tomorrow, the forecast predicts a high of 32 degrees Celsius and a low relative humidity of 25-30 per cent. Winds are expected to come from the northwest-southeast at 15-20 km/h. There's a 20 per cent chance of rain and thundershowers, but only trace amounts. This will make no impact on the wildfire.

Over the next few days, the weather is expected to change. There's rain in the upcoming forecast for Wednesday and Thursday this week. However, we don't know if it will land on the complex and make any sort of impact. Tuesday is likely going to be a challenging day for this complex because the incident management team will be transitioning with a new incident management team.

Tonight, we again have a nighttime capable drone monitoring the wildfires in this complex. This drone is given special clearance to fly within our NOTAM (Notice to Air Mission) and is controlled by an operator who is trained and qualified in how to operate this aircraft safely. This drone can pinpoint specific locations, monitor fire growth, and the operator can then notify the incident management team if the wildfire(s) were close to impacting nearby values. This drone is a critical resource for nighttime firefighting operations and is a fairly new piece of technology in the wildland firefighting world.

As a reminder, operators of drones that DO NOT have special clearance to fly within our NOTAM are breaking the law and the penalty for interfering with wildfire control operations can land you a court appearance. Go to the Government of Alberta website, or for more information from Transport Canada about drones near wildfires, visit Transport Canada's website.

Screenshot 2024-07-20 094839 (To see the smoke forecast visit firesmoke.ca. Smoky conditions are expected to continue over the next few days, July 21, 2024)

Wildfire MCX003 - Algar Lake Complex

MWF086 – estimated at 1,682 hectares – classified as out of control
MWF069 – estimated at 16,555 hectares – classified as out of control

Smoke drift dissipated sufficiently to allow for air operations today at the Algar Lake Complex. For the first time since Thursday, helicopters were able to fly over MWF069 and MWF086 and support the crews on the ground.

High temperature continues into Monday in Fort McMurray Forest Area, maintaining the probability of intense fire behaviour.

There is a possibility that smoke drift will delay air operations again tomorrow morning. Crews are prepared to once again travel to their work locations by ground transportation.

For a visual representation of smoke drift patterns and forecasts, you can consult the interactive map at firesmoke.ca.

MWF086 is a lightning-caused fire that started on July 16. Located north of MWF069, this fire is not causing any immediate concerns.

MWF069 started on July 10 as a series of smaller lightning-caused fires that all merged into this larger fire. It is located approximately:

10 km west of Highway 63
40 km southwest of Fort McMurray

Monday’s forecast calls for a high of 31 degrees, with low relative humidity values in the 30-35% range. Crossover conditions remain possible. East to southeasterly winds at 15-20 km/h are anticipated, with 30 km/h gusts expected in the evening. No precipitation is forecast.

There are 113 personnel from Alberta, New Brunswick and Ontario assigned to the Algar Lake Complex. Among them are forest firefighters, heavy equipment operators, a structure protection group supervisor, an ignition team, and a 15-person incident management team.

Seven helicopters and eleven pieces of heavy equipment are dedicated to MCX003.

The area where we’ve seen the most fire behaviour on MWF069 today has been on the southwest corner of the perimeter, which is the furthest away from the highway 63 corridor.

Structure protection crews were making assessments to the north and west of this portion of the fire throughout the day.

In order to help prevent further spread into more fire prone forest fuels (coniferous stands with the potential of burning intensely), the ignition team has worked to tie off a small portion of the southwestern most portion of the fire perimeter into natural boundaries this evening, under the supervision wildfire management specialists. This operation has safely and successfully met its objectives.

Firefighters made excellent progress today as they continued to establish hose lines with aerial support. Fire behaviour was low to moderate this afternoon. Crews continued to action areas within the perimeter that are showing heat and smoke on the northeast corner.

Belly tankers and bucketing helicopters worked on the east flank of the fire, working to extinguish hot spots.

Limiting the spread to the east remains the main objective.

Heavy equipment continues to ensure safe routes for the Hagglunds and Nodwells that carry personnel and their equipment by ground transportation, as the possibility of smoke drift may impede air operations again tomorrow morning.

Dozer teams and other heavy equipment are working northward past the Northeast corner, extending control lines.

(A look at one of the control lines built by heavy equipment operators near the northeast corner of fire MWF069. Photo taken during an operational pause, July 20)

As smoke drift conditions start to improve and conditions once again become more favorable for intensifying fire behaviour, residents of Fort McMurray and surrounding areas may notice more smoke columns into mid-week. Wildfire smoke is affecting air quality in parts of Alberta. Visit Wildfire smoke information | Alberta.ca for air quality monitoring information to make informed decisions about outdoor activities to protect your health.

Download the 511 app to stay up to date on any road closures in Alberta. This wildfire could impact visibility on Highway 63, always drive with extreme caution.

MCX004 - Rabbit Lake Complex

(MWF060, MWF078, and MWF074)

MWF060 is located approximately 5 km east of the Slave Lake Forest Area border and the Fort McMurray Forest Area border. It is also and estimated to be 13,000 ha in size. This wildfire is classified as out of control and was caused by lightning.

MWF074 is located northeast of MWF060, is 400 ha in size and is classified as out of control.

MWF078 is located southwest of MWF060, is 1,600 ha in size, and is classified as out of control.

Structure protection is planned to be set up on some nearby infrastructure. More resources have been requested for this complex.

Fire Ban banner

A fire ban is in effect as of 4 p.m. on July 10 in the entire Forest Protection Area of Alberta, including the Fort McMurray 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.

Under this fire ban:

All fire permits are suspended or cancelled.
No new fire permits will be issued.
Some allowances can be made for essential agricultural and industrial burning, if approved by a forest officer.

Prohibited:

All outdoor wood fires, including wood campfires on public land, private land, designated campgrounds, and backyard firepits
Barbeque charcoal briquettes
Fireworks and exploding targets

Allowed:

Propane/natural gas-powered appliances
Indoor wood fires inside a structure (such as a facility, building, tent or RV) and contained within a device with a chimney and spark arrestor
Open flame oil devices (such as deep fryers and tiki torches). All devices must be CSA approved and used per manufacturer’s standards.

We want to remind everyone that along with the rest of the forest area, there should be absolutely no wood campfires, charcoal barbeque, fireworks, or exploding targets in the Richardson backcountry. Conditions are very dry and hot and we want to reduce the chance of new wildfires starting.

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

The fire ban will remain in effect until conditions improve.

See the fire ban factsheet.

More information on the fire ban for Fort McMurray's Urban Service Area

For more information, visit Alberta Fire Bans.

Screenshot 2024-07-21 124613

See the forecasted fire danger map

FORT MCMURRAY WILDFIRE UPDATE

Since January 1, 2024 there have been 88 wildfires in the Fort McMurray Forest Area, burning a total of approximately 193,330 hectares (ha).

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 out of control and is estimated to be 900 ha in size. This wildfire was caused by lightning.

MWF068 was discovered on July 10 and is located approximately 4.5 km east of the High Level Forest Area border and 13 km north of the Slave Lake Forest Area border. It is classified as being held and is estimated to be 100 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 2,300 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 400 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.

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 under control and is estimated to be 6 ha in size. This wildfire was caused by lightning.

MWF067 was discovered on July 10 and is located approximately 4 km southwest of Gregoire Lake 176. It is classified as under control and is currently 0.3 ha in size. This wildfire was caused by lightning.

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

SAFETY AROUND SKIMMERS (Water Bombers)

If you're planning to be out on the lake this weekend, please keep in mind that skimmer planes are often using various lakes to refill with water.

This is another critical resource for firefighting operations, so we ask anyone on water bodies to stay alert and watch out for skimmers. If you see a skimmer coming towards a water body, ensure you get within 30 metres of shore so they can safely refill.

Screenshot 2024-07-13 093738-1

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, go to the Government of Alberta website.
For more information from Transport Canada about drones near wildfires, visit Transport Canada's website.

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Always be cautious when recreating outdoors.

Off-highway vehicles (OHVs) have exhaust systems that get hotter than 200°C. At these temperatures, built-up materials (such as grass, muskeg, moss, or other debris) can heat up, smoulder and ignite.

These can fall to the ground as you are riding, starting a wildfire.

OHV tips.

CONTACT:

Emily Smith

Wildfire Information Officer | MCX002 Cattail Lakes Complex

Phone: 780-799-9253

Email:emily.smith@gov.ab.ca

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