Fort McMurray Area Update (196)

WILDFIRE DANGER

The wildfire danger is HIGH for south of Lake Athabasca and VERY HIGH for north of Lake Athabasca within the Fort McMurray Forest Area. Please be very cautious when recreating outdoors as we are entering a drying trend where wildfires can ignite easily and spread quickly.

Report wildfires immediately by calling 310-FIRE (3473).

EVACUATION ORDERS

Highway 5 is currently closed due to wildfire activity. Click here, for more highway closure information.

For more information on the wildfire situation in Wood Buffalo National Park, click here

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB) has declared a state of local emergency and issued an evacuation order for the community of Fort Fitzgerald. Click here for more information.

The Chief and Council of Smith's Landing First Nation has declared a state of local emergency and issued an evacuation order. Click here, for more information.

The Town of Fort Smith has declared a state of local emergency and issued an evacuation order for residents within the municipality and surrounding areas. Click here, for more information.

For information on Northwest Territories evacuations click here.

For more information and related links, please see MNZ003 below.

SMOKY CONDITIONS

Due to the numerous wildfires in Alberta and other parts of Canada, smoky conditions will continue. Anyone with health concerns should visit Alberta Health Services or call 811 for health advice from Alberta Health Link. Before travelling check www.511.Alberta.ca for information the latest road conditions or closures. Visit www.firesmoke.ca to see where the smoke is coming from and to view wildfires on a map, download the AB Wildfire App or visit the Alberta Wildfire Status Dashboard.

WILDFIRE OF NOTE

Most of the dozer guards have been 100 per cent completed for the Wood Buffalo Complex. This will help to slow the spread of the wildfire (August 21, 2023).

Wood Buffalo Complex (previously Parks Canada Fire 7, Alberta Wildfire MNZ003, and NWT SS069):

For the evening update, click here.

Ignition Update:

Based on current and forecasted weather conditions, we are planning an ignition operation for approximately 11:00 am this morning, if conditions allow. Ignition is a tool we use to remove fuel from an area during favourable weather conditions so that the wildfire can’t burn there later. Removing the fuel now will be helpful for when wind and weather conditions aren’t as favourable.

The location of this operation is planned for south of Highway 5, starting west of Bell Rock, going to east of Fort Smith. This burn will happen on the south side of the fire guard that was recently completed. Smoke columns may be visible from this operation. Ignition operations are only conducted under the watchful eye of experienced wildfire managers and only during optimal conditions.

Individuals in Bell Rock, Fort Smith, or anywhere in between could see smoke columns from this operation.

Morning Update, 10:00 am:

If you have evacuated, DO NOT return. This is an active wildfire operation area and is dangerous for residents and first responders if people start coming back before its safe.

The Wood Buffalo Complex is managed using Unified Command with the Government of Northwest Territories, Parks Canada, and Alberta Wildfire.

Wood Buffalo Complex is currently 419,657 hectares in size and is classified as OUT OF CONTROL. At its closest, it is approximately 4km south of Fort Smith, NWT and 6km south of Fort Fitzgerald, AB. We recognize that this distance has not changed in the last week or so and we would like to stress that this wildfire is still a significant threat. Crews have worked tirelessly along the northern flanks with helicopter bucketing, strengthening dozer guards and direct attack to try to stop its spread north. The conditions that we had last week gave us the time to do this necessary work, but the fire is burning in other locations and is still a significant threat to the communities despite this pause in northern progress.

Collectively, there are 277 personnel, which includes 55 pieces of heavy equipment and 24 helicopters responding to the Wood Buffalo Complex today.

Weather:

With yesterday’s warm, dry weather we saw a significant increase in fire behaviour, and we expect today to be the same. There is no precipitation in the forecast over the next few days.

Today, the forecast calls for a high of 27 C and a relative humidity of 22 per cent. Extreme fire behaviour is expected because of the forecasted crossover conditions. Crossover occurs when the humidity is lower than the temperature. Winds are forecasted to be southwest 10-15km/h, gusting up to 30 km/h. There is the potential for a jet stream to come through the area which would cause higher than forecasted winds.

Tomorrow, the forecast calls for 23 C and a relative humidity of 33 per cent. Winds are expected to come from the north at 10km/h, gusting up to 25 km/h. There is still potential for extreme fire behaviour tomorrow.

Today’s Objectives:

Team members will use direct suppression strategies, including planned ignitions whenever safe working conditions allow. The crew is working to maintain and improve already established structure protection systems.

Highlights of Work Completed:

Thebacha

Yesterday the fire jumped north of Highway 5 and crossed Connie's road. Helicopters immediately started bucketing in that area and were able to control that spot fire.
Structure protection work has been completed and yesterday sprinklers were turned on.
Over the past days, helicopter bucketing has been happening throughout area.
Approximately 10 km of dozer guard has been completed along the fire line south of the Thebacha and Highway 5 junction, working east towards Pine Lake Road.

Bell Rock Subdivision

A dozer guard was established around the subdivision of Bell Rock on the south side of Highway 5.
An additional dozer guard was established on the west side of Bell Rock, north of Highway 5.
Crews also strengthened the containment line that is currently south of Highway 5 and south of Bell Rock. They are continuing to do this work east towards Fort Smith.
Yesterday, structure protection work was completed.

Fort Fitzgerald

Dozers have refurbished three previously established fire guards to the north and south of Fort Fitzgerald.
Yesterday, crews worked to direct attack the fireline directly south of Fort Fitzgerald.
Structural protection sprinklers were turned on yesterday.

Fort Smith

The old Fort Smith community guard has been refurbished to be a 15 blade wide (100 m) guard that has been scraped down to mineral soil. This community guard referred to as extends from West 40 (on Highway 5) to Pine Lake Road, just south of Border Town.
Airport Guards- Dozer guards have been constructed extending south, north, and west of the airport. The western guard connects to the nuisance grounds. The southern guard is connected into Fort Smith community guard.
Structure protection has been installed at the airport fire camp.

Extensive additional work has been done around town for sprinkler systems and FireSmart work. For more information on these efforts, see the Fort Smith Protective Services Facebook page.

Border Town

A fire guard was established along the powerline and along Kaeser’s Canal.
Sprinkler lines have been set up along Kaeser’s Canal.
An additional dozer guard was established from the edge of the Fort Smith community guard to Highway 5 towards the golf course.
Structure protection has been installed at the field of dreams fire camp.

State of Emergency

The Town of Fort Smith and Fort Fitzgerald have declared a STATE OF LOCAL EMERGENCY and it remains under an EVACUATION ORDER. The ORDER has been issued for public safety.

Highway 5 is currently closed from Hay River to Fort Smith due to safety concerns and limited visibility. Click here for highway closure information.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Do we have the conditions for planned ignition?

Crews are continuing to look at options for ignition operations to gently bring the fire to natural fire breaks. Removing fuel prior to an approaching fire can slow down the fire spread once it joins up with the burned area. We only complete ignition operations with favourable weather conditions and under the watchful eye of experienced wildfire managers.

Can we come home?

With the hotter, drier weather, increased fire behaviour is imminent. THIS IS NOT the time to come home. The danger from this wildfire has not passed. A state of local emergency remains in effect for Fort Smith and Fort Fitzgerald. IT IS UNSAFE FOR RESIDENTS TO RETURN. Staying away allows trained personnel is to focus on the communities, homes and cabins that mean so much to you. If you return, you are directly impeding operations that are working to protect your community.

Please see the town of Fort Smith website for information on the evacuation order.

Please DO NOT return to the area until the evacuation order has been lifted.

Additional Information:

For additional information on the efforts being done in the Town of Fort Smith visit their protective services facebook page or the Town of Fort Smith webpage.

For information on all other wildfires visit the respective webpages:

For up-to-date road conditions, visit GNWT Highway Conditions

Report any wildfires or suspicious smoke in Alberta to 310-FIRE, in Northwest Territories to 1-877-NWTFIRE, and in Wood Buffalo National Park to 867-621-0136.

FORT MCMURRAY WILDFIRE UPDATE

Since January 1, 2023 there have been 58 wildfires in the Fort McMurray Forest Area, burning a total of approximately 326,072 hectares (ha).

MWF021 was detected on May 27 and is located approximately 38 km south of Wood Buffalo National Park. This wildfire is classified as under control (UC) and is 14,760 ha in size. This wildfire was caused by lightning.

MWF023 was detected May 28 and is located near Birch Mountains Wildland Provincial Park. This wildfire is classified as under control (UC) and is 54,639 ha in size. This wildfire was caused by lightning.

MWF024 was detected May 28 and is located east of Marguerite River Wildland Provincial Park. This wildfire is classified as under control (UC) and is approximately 28,454 ha in size. This wildfire was caused by lightning.

MWF025 was detected May 28 and is located approximately 7 km north of Fort Chipewyan. This wildfire is classified as being held and is approximately 95,491 ha in size. This wildfire was caused by lightning.

This wildfire no longer poses a threat to the community of Fort Chipewyan, Allison Bay, Dog Head, or the Fort Chipewyan airport. Eighty per cent of the entire wildfire perimeter is controlled, which includes the entire south perimeter.

MWF026 was detected May 28 and is located northeast of Marguerite River Wildland Provincial Park. This wildfire is classified as under control (UC) and is approximately 1,705 ha in size. This wildfire was caused by lightning.

MWF030 was detected on June 4 and is located near La Butte Creek. This wildfire is classified as being held and is 7.4 ha in size. This wildfire was caused by lightning.

MWF038 was detected on June 29 and is located approximately 6 km north of the Slave Lake/Fort McMurray Forest Area border. This wildfire is classified as under control (UC) and is approximately 569 ha in size. This wildfire was caused by lightning.

MWF039 was detected on June 29 and is located within Birch Mountains Wildland Provincial Park but has crossed over into the Slave Lake Forest Area. This wildfire is classified as under control (UC) and is approximately 15,200 ha in size. This wildfire was caused by lightning.

MWF043 was detected on June 30 and is approximately 20 km southeast of Fort Fitzgerald. This wildfire is classified as being held and is approximately 108,555 ha in size. This wildfire was caused by lightning. To view actual locations of the wildfire, visit the wildfire dashboard.

This wildfire is experiencing decreased fire growth and is not currently moving any closer to Fort Smith or Fort Fitzgerald.

Mutual-aid wildfires:

ANT003 (SS022) was discovered on July 5, 2023 and is located approximately 25 km north of Fort Smith. It is approximately 85,584 ha in size and is classified as out of control. To view a digital map of this fire click here, or to see all fires around Fort Smith and Fort Fitzgerald, click here.

This wildfire is experiencing decreased fire growth and is not currently moving any closer to Fort Smith or Fort Fitzgerald.

Currently, all resources have been pulled from this wildfire to assist with MNZ003 (please see more information below).

MSZ001 is located on the Alberta/Saskatchewan border, just south of Lake Athabasca. This wildfire is classified as being held and is approximately 75 ha in size.

MNZ001 is located on the south edge of the Alberta/Wood Buffalo National Park border. This wildfire is classified as being held and is approximately 2,595 ha.

PROVINCIAL WILDFIRE UPDATE

Since January 1, 2023 in the Forest Protection Area, there have been 977 wildfires burning a total of approximately 1,841,394 ha.

To view active wildfires across Alberta, click here.

To see the forecasted fire danger click here, updates daily at 3:00 PM.

ON ALERT

Fire lookouts are on high alert constantly watching for smoke and firefighters in helicopters are assessing potential sightings of wildfires, ready to respond to any new wildfires that may start.

Wildland firefighters urge everyone to be extremely cautious when out in the Forest Protection Area. Check your winter burns, and comply with fire bans and OHV restrictions.

Alberta Fire Bans 2022

CAMPFIRE SAFETY

Remember to check www.albertafirebans.ca for fire advisories, bans or restrictions in your area or destination. If you are camping in a provincial or national park, check the rules and guidelines and be sure to follow them for your safety and the safety of other campers.

Safe wood campfires - should be within a metal, brick, or rock fire ring.

They are required to:

be on rock, gravel, sand, or another non-combustible surface that extends at least one metre around the fire
have a responsible person in attendance to keep fire under control at all times and extinguish before leaving
have enough water on hand to extinguish the fire. Safe wood campfires on private lands include private land campgrounds and private land recreation areas.

Always let the fire burn down before you plan to extinguish it. Spread the embers within the fire pit, then add water or loose dirt and stir. Repeat until your campfire is cool to the touch. You should not be able to feel any heat from the ashes.

OHV SAFETY

If you plan on riding OHVs in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta, you can reduce the risk of your vehicle causing a wildfire by following these simple steps:

Before you ride, clean out hot spots and remove debris from your machine.
After riding through muskeg or tall grass, stop and remove any build-up from your machine.
Carry firefighting equipment such as a small shovel, collapsible pail or fire extinguisher.
Wash your OHV and keep it clean; do not wash in streams and creeks.
Make sure your muffler and spark arrestor are working properly.
Stop frequently. Take the time to knock debris from your machine’s hot spots. If the debris is smouldering, soak it, stir it, and soak it again to make sure it is extinguished.

For more information, see Off-highway vehicles: Wildfire prevention tips.

EXPLODING TARGETS AND FIREWORKS

The Forest and Prairie Protection Act and associated regulations applies to the shooting, ignition or detonation of exploding targets and fireworks on public lands and private lands located within the FPA.

A Forest Officer from the local forest area office may grant written permission to shoot, ignite or detonate exploding targets or fireworks in the FPA. Written permission of exploding targets and fireworks is based on current wildfire danger and managed on a case-by-case basis.

A fire advisory, restriction, ban or forest closure may prohibit or limit use of exploding targets and fireworks during high wildfire hazard situations within the FPA. Check Alberta Fire Bans or the mobile phone app for the latest information.

WILDFIRE DASHBOARD

The wildfire dashboard provides up-to-date wildfire information at the click of a button. This interactive tool displays important statistics on the number of active wildfires in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta, sizes, locations, suspected causes and more.

The dashboard builds on the former wildfire status map by displaying the most frequently accessed information in one convenient location.

CONTACT

Emily Smith

Wildfire Information Officer | Fort McMurray Forest Area

Phone: 780-799-9253

Email: emily.smith@gov.ab.ca