Fort McMurray Forest Area Wildfire Update - May 19, 2024

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

Alberta Wildfire is currently responding to an out of control wildfire south of Fort McMurray. See below for more information.

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 firefighter hot spot May 18 2024

Firefighters dig up and extinguish hot spots on MWF017. May 18, 2024.

MWF017

MWF017 is classified as out of control at 19,493 hectares.

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 latest map of wildfire MWF017.

There was no growth on the fire yesterday and fire activity was minimal. An additional 5 mm of rain fell on the fire overnight and light showers are in the forecast today. Over 40 mm of rain have fallen on the fire since May 16.

Helicopters will likely be grounded today due to the weather conditions. Firefighters can now access the fire line by ground transport and will work to extinguish hot spot.

Heavy equipment operators worked overnight and continue to extend the containment line on the north and east sides of the wildfire today.

There are 233 firefighters, 24 helicopters and 40 pieces of heavy equipment currently assigned to the wildfire.

Structure protection is in place in the Abasand, Prairie Creek, Grayling Terrace and Beacon Hill neighbourhoods, as well as on the Rickards Landing Industrial Park, Gregoire Lake Estates and Gregoire Lake 176.

Unified command between Alberta Wildfire and the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo has ended. An Alberta Wildfire incident management team is responsible for the wildfire.

The cause of this wildfire remains under investigation.

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo has lifted the evacuation order for the neighbourhoods of Prairie Creek, Beacon Hill, Abasand, and Grayling Terrace.

The evacuation alert has been lifted for the rest of Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek, Gregoire Lake Estates, Fort McMurray 468 First Nation and Anzac.

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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