Fort McMurray Forest Area Wildfire Update - May 19, 2024

The wildfire danger is low in the Fort McMurray Forest Area.

Wildfire MWF017, located southwest of Fort McMurray, is now classified as being held.

A fire ban is in effect in the entire Fort McMurray Forest Area. An off-highway vehicle restriction is in place in the area south of Lake Athabasca.

Report wildfires by calling 310-FIRE (3473).

MWF017 firefighters May 19 2024

Firefighters get briefed before looking for hot spots on MWF017. May 19, 2024.

MWF017

MWF017 is classified as being held at 19,451 hectares. This means that given current weather conditions and resources, the wildfire is not anticipated to grow past expected boundaries.

The size was adjusted down slightly from yesterday after more accurate data was received.

The closest point of the fire remains about 5.5 km from the Fort McMurray landfill and 4.5 km from the intersection of highways 63 and 881.

See the most recent map of wildfire MWF017.

There was no growth on the fire today and fire activity was minimal. Over 40 mm of rain have fallen on the fire since May 16.

The change of status signifies that the risk of this wildfire growing towards the community and important infrastructure is greatly reduced. As such, we have started the process of removing structure protection equipment from the areas where it had been installed.

Heavy equipment operators have built over 25 km of fire guard to the southwest of Fort McMurray. Now that this work is complete, we will be downsizing our compliment of heavy equipment. There are 40 heavy equipment operators still assigned to MWF017, who will work on extending the containment line around the perimeter of the wildfire.

Firefighters and heavy equipment operators have been able to take advantage of the recent rain to make excellent progress on containing the wildfire. The fire is not expected to grow but remains active in the interior of the perimeter. Firefighters are looking for hot spots, digging them up and extinguishing them. This is a lengthy process that requires time and hard work to complete.

Once warm and dry conditions return, the interior of the wildfire will become more active. Pockets of unburnt vegetation may catch on fire and smoke may be visible once again. This is normal and expected. Firefighters, with the support of helicopters, will continue to extinguish hot spots until the wildfire is brought under control.

An Alberta Wildfire incident management team is responsible for MWF017.

The cause of this wildfire remains under investigation.

Jean Lake Complex (MXC001) is made up of two wildfires (HWF021 and MWF010), located near Birch Mountains. MWF010 is 7,976 hectares in size and HWF021 is 378 hectares. Both are classified as being held and do not pose a threat to any community.

There are currently two carryover wildfires from the 2023 season burning in the Fort McMurray Forest Area. Both of these wildfires are under control. They are being monitored by firefighters.

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

Download the Alberta Wildfire App for Apple or Android.

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FIRE BAN AND OHV RESTRICTION IN EFFECT

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

An OHV restriction is place for the region of the Fort McMurray Forest Area located south of Lake Athabasca.

See Alberta Fire Bans for a map of the restriction area.

Under this fire ban:

All existing fire permits are suspended (or cancelled)
No new fire permits will be issued

Prohibited:

All outdoor wood fires are banned, including wood campfires on public lands, wood campfires on private land and provincial campgrounds
Backyard fire pits
BBQ charcoal briquettes
The use of fireworks and exploding targets
The recreational use of off-highway vehicles (OHV) on public lands, including designated OHV trails

Allowed:

Propane/natural gas-powered appliances
Open flame oil devices (e.g., turkey deep fryers, tiki torches)
Indoor wood fires contained within a device with a chimney and spark arrestor
All appliances must be CSA approved and used per manufacturer’s standards
Indigenous people when using an OHV for traditional purposes. Traditional purposes are hunting, fishing, and trapping – including the use of an OHV to travel to the location(s) for these purposes.
Essential industry-related activities requiring the use of OHVs.
Off-highway vehicle use is still permitted on private lands.

The fire ban and OHV restriction will remain in effect until conditions improve.

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Drones are not allowed within five nautical miles (or 9.3 kilometers) of a wildfire. If you fly a drone within this distance of a wildfire, it immediately halts aerial firefighting operations because it is not safe for aircraft to be flying with drones in the air. Interfering with wildfire control operations can land you a court appearance.

See Transport Canada's Forest fires and drones fact sheet for more information.

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