Fort McMurray Area Update (29)

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

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

Smoke may impact visibility and trigger highway closures with little notice. See 511 Alberta for the latest information on road closures.

To see where smoke is coming from, visit FireSmoke Canada.

On average, 67 per cent of wildfires are caused by humans. Everyone plays a role in preventing wildfires. Take the wildfire pledge to reduce wildfires and enter to win a helicopter tour!

MCX002 - Cattail Complex

Wildfires MWF047, MWF077, and MWF079 are part of the Cattail Lake Complex. All three wildfires were caused by lightning and are now classified as being held. The classification of being held means that given current weather conditions and resources, the wildfire is not anticipated to grow past expected boundaries.

This complex has 76 personnel, including firefighting crews from Alberta, Ontario and Australia. 10 helicopters have been assigned to this complex. An incident management team oversees operations.

MWF047 is 105,868 ha in size and is located 53 km east of Fort McKay, 68 km northeast of Fort McMurray, and 6 km northeast of local industrial facilities.

See the most recent map of MWF047.

MWF077 is 17,735 ha in size and 38 km northeast of Fort McMurray, 46 km from Fort McKay, and 6.5 km from local industrial facilities.

MWF079 is 515 ha in size and is located near the Saskatchewan border. At this time, aircraft are monitoring this wildfire.

Yesterday, we saw firefighting crews and supporting aircraft make significant gains in strengthening containment lines on the western edges of fires MWF047 and MWF077. Crews will continue this work today with aircraft support and undertake additional support activities, including constructing helicopter landing areas. These landing areas enable our crews to get closer to the fireline and make it more efficient to work in these areas.

Today, the high is forecasted to be 24° C and 35 per cent relative humidity. Winds will be predominantly from the southwest at 10-15 km/h, gusting up to 30 km/h.

MCX003 - Algar Lake Complex

Wildfires MWF069, MWF086, and LWF165 make up the Algar Complex. On July 28, all three of these wildfires were classified as being held. The classification of being held means that given current weather conditions and resources, the wildfire is not anticipated to grow past expected boundaries.

108 personnel from Alberta and Australia are assigned to the Algar Lake Complex, as well as 12 helicopters and 21 pieces of heavy equipment. The MCX003 team includes firefighters, heavy equipment operators, and an incident management team.

MWF069 started on July 10 as smaller lightning-caused fires merged into this more significant fire. It is located 10 km west of Highway 63 and 40 km southwest of Fort McMurray. It is 17,183 ha in size.

MWF086 is a lightning-caused fire that started on July 16. It is located 37 km southwest of Fort McMurray and is 2,251 ha in size. Fire crews are still actively monitoring conditions, and aircraft are in a position to undertake firefighting activities if required.

LWF165 started on July 17. It is located 20 km south of Crow Lake and is 1,166 ha in size.

With the recent substantial rainfall this complex received, our firefighters and supporting aircraft have made significant progress on this complex of fires. They can now traverse the area quickly, identifying and extinguishing any hotspots they encounter and strengthening our containment lines.

Heavy machinery has also been busy creating both primary and secondary containment lines. These containment lines assist the ground crews in gaining access to the fire and provide a break in the vegetation to ensure less opportunity for fire growth.

Demobilization of structure protection has begun in areas where wildfire managers are confident in the fireline holding.

Today, firefighters, heavy equipment, and supporting aircraft will continue this work and patrol for any hotspots that may be identified.

For up-to-date information about road conditions, visit 511Alberta.

MCX004 - Rabbit Lake Complex

Wildfires MWF060, MWF074, and MWF078 are classified as being held. The classification of being held means that given current weather conditions and resources, the wildfire is not anticipated to grow past expected boundaries.

MWF060 is located about 36 km northeast of Chipewyan Lake. It is estimated to be 20,219 ha in size. This wildfire was caused by lightning.

MWF074 is located northeast of MWF060. It is 297 ha in size and was caused by lightning.

MWF078 is located about 25 km east of Chipewyan Lake. It is 2,635 ha in size.

See the Slave Lake Forest Area update for more information.

FORT MCMURRAY FOREST AREA WILDFIRE UPDATE

There are currently 23 active wildfires in the Fort McMurray Forest Area. Currently, 17 are being held, and six are under control.

Since January 1, 2024, 92 wildfires have burned approximately 215,154 hectares (ha) in the Fort McMurray Forest Area.

MWF043 was discovered on July 3 and is approximately 22 km northwest of Bitumount. It is classified as being held and is estimated to be 900 ha. This wildfire was caused by lightning.

MWF045 was discovered on July 2 and is 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 on 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.

MWF061 was discovered on July 7. It is approximately 110 km northeast of Fort Mc Kay and 13 km from the Birch Mountain Wildland Provincial Park. It is classified as being held and is estimated to be 40 ha in size. The cause of this wildfire is under investigation.

MWF063 was discovered on July 9 and is 60 km southwest of Camsell Portage (Saskatchewan) and 65 km northeast of Fort Chipewyan. It is classified as being held at 11,476 ha in size. This wildfire was caused by lightning.

MWF064 was discovered on July 9 and is located on Bustard Island, approximately 2 km northwest of the Bushland Island remote forest recreational reserve. The island is 23 km northeast of Fort Chipewyan. It is classified as being held and is estimated to be 3.9 ha in size. The cause of this wildfire is under investigation.

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.

MWF080 was discovered on July 14 and is located in the area between Gipsy Lake, Garson Lake and the Alberta/Saskatchewan border. It is classified as being held and is estimated to be 3,570 ha in size. The cause of this wildfire is under investigation.

MWF081 was discovered on July 16. It is located on Burntwood Island, 39 km northeast of Fort Chipewyan. It is classified as being held and is estimated to be 779 ha in size. This wildfire was human-caused.

MWF091 was discovered on July 25. It is located 10 km southwest of Fort Mc Murray and 27 km west of Gregorie Lake Estates. It is classified as under control and estimated to be 2 ha. 12 firefighters, supported by two helicopters, are working on this wildfire.

Fire Ban banner

A fire ban is in effect as of July 10 in 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.

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.

View more information on the fire ban for the Urban Service Area of Fort McMurray.

For more information, visit Alberta Fire Bans.

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See the latest fire danger maps.

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SAFETY AROUND AIRCRAFT

Depending on the location of a wildfire, firefighting aircraft such as airtankers and water bombers may need to use water from nearby lakes to help fight wildfires. Often, these aircraft arrive without advanced warning.

If you are in the water and see an aircraft coming in to collect water, please move within 30 m from the shore so these aircraft can safely resume firefighting efforts. Aircraft are large and require space to collect water, without interference from people and boats. Help us by staying out of the way when aircraft are around.

DRONES PROHIBITED

During firefighting operations, the restricted airspace around a wildfire includes a radius of approximately 9.26 km (5 nautical miles) and up to an altitude of 3,000 feet above ground level.

Flying a drone or unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) over or near a wildfire in Alberta endangers firefighting personnel and may cause firefighting operations to stop. These delays can cause the wildfire to grow larger and more intense without aircraft providing support from above.

See Transport Canada for more information about drones near wildfires.

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OHV SAFETY

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.

See OHV safety tips.

CONTACT:

Emily Smith

Wildfire Information Officer | Fort McMurray Forest Area

Cell: 780-799-9253

Email: emily.smith@gov.ab.ca