Fort McMurray Area Update (33)

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.

Smoke may impact visibility and trigger the closure of highways 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 percent of wildfires are human-caused. 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 and MWF077 and MWF079 are part of the Cattail Lake Complex. All three wildfires are out of control. They were caused by lightning.

There are 165 personnel working on this complex, including 88 firefighters from Alberta and Australia. There are 19 helicopters and 7 pieces of heavy equipment assigned to the complex. An incident management team is overseeing operations.

MWF047 – 106,726 hectares (ha)

See the most recent map of MWF047.

It is located:

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

MWF077 – 17,814 ha

See the most recent map of MWF077.

It is located:

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

MWF079 - 379 ha

It is located near the Saskatchewan border. This wildfire is being monitored by firefighters.

Although the wildfires in this complex did not receive rain overnight, the higher humidity and cloud cover is keeping fire behaviour low. Significant rain is expected for the area today, but the showers may miss the wildfires in this complex. Crews are currently on standby and will fly to the fire line if weather conditions permit.

If firefighters can safely travel to the fire line, they will continue to strengthen containment lines in priority areas with the support of helicopters. Their work will be focused on the southwest edge of MWF047 and the northwest edge of MWF077. Ground retardant will only be applied to power poles in the area if there is no rain, as the rain makes the application ineffective.

A high of 19C with a relative humidity of 80 per cent is expected today. Winds from the north at 15 to 20 km/h are forecasted. There is an 80 per cent chance of showers and thundershowers, which could bring 20 to 40 mm of rain and some lightning.

MCX002 weather balloon July 24 2024

The fire behaviour analyst for MCX002 launches a weather balloon to capture weather data on July 24, 2024.

MCX003 - Algar Lake Complex

MWF069 – classified as out of control - estimated at 17,183 hectares
MWF086 – classified as out of control - estimated at 2,251 hectares
LWF165 - classified as out of control – estimated at 1,883 hectares

There are 123 personnel from Alberta, New Brunswick, Ontario and Australia assigned to the Algar Lake Complex, as well as 13 helicopters and 16 pieces of heavy equipment. Among the MCX003 team are firefighters, heavy equipment operators, a structure protection group supervisor, an ignition team, and a 15-person incident management team.

A high of 21C is expected at the Algar Lake Complex today as temperatures dip to below seasonal, with rain falling steadily since early morning. Thursday’s low relative humidity isn’t expected to dip below 70 per cent. Winds are expected to be north to northwesterly at 10-15 km/h. A total of 10-20 mm of rain is anticipated, with the possibility of thunderstorms this afternoon.

MWF069 started on July 10 as a series of smaller lightning-caused fires that all merged into this larger fire. It is located 10 km west of Highway 63 and 40 km southwest of Fort McMurray.

With rain falling in the area of MWF069 since early this morning, ground access to work sites for fire crews and heavy equipment on MWF069 is challenging due to the more remote location of this fire. Firefighting crews are ready to resume their assignments once conditions improve, and also remain ready to respond to any new fires. Fire behaviour is expected to be minimal today with the current weather.

MWF086 is a lightning-caused fire that started on July 16. It is located 37 km southwest of Fort McMurray. Fire management specialists continue to monitor this fire, which is not causing any concerns at this time.

LWF165 started on July 17. It is located 20 km south of Crow Lake.

Heavy equipment operators have completed containment lines around the portion of LWF165 located on the west side of Highway 63. They have moved over to the portion of the fire located on the east side of the highway along the southern edge, where they will continue to establish containment lines, working eastward away from Highway 63.

Firefighters will resume working on establishing containment lines today on the west side of Highway 63, both on the north and the south edges, once weather conditions permit.

Given the forecasted conditions, observed fire behaviour, and the work accomplished so far, there are no immediate concerns for further travel disruptions to the highway at this time.

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

Infrared scans that had been planned for both MWF086 and LWF165 last Wednesday evening were not completed due to unfavorable weather conditions.

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Crews assigned to LWF165 on the Algar Lake Complex continued to make good progress on the east side of Highway 63 yesterday. (End of shift - July 23, 2024).

MCX004 - Rabbit Lake Complex

Wildfires MWF060, MWF074, and MWF078 are part of the Rabbit Lake Complex.

MWF060 is located about 36 km northeast of Chipewyan Lakes. It is estimated to be 20,219 ha in size. This wildfire is classified as out of control and was caused by lightning.

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

MWF078 is located about 25 km east of Chipewyan Lakes. It is 2,635 ha in size and is classified as out of control.

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. Nine are out of control, ten are being held, and four are under control.

Since January 1, 2024, there have been 92 wildfires in the Fort McMurray Forest Area, burning a total of approximately 214,400 hectares (ha).

MWF043 was discovered on July 3 and is located approximately 22 km northwest of Bitumount. It is classified as out of control and is estimated to be 900 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 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 McKay 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, SK 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. The island is 56 km northeast of Fort Chipewyan. It is classified as being held and is estimated to be 4 ha in size. The cause of this wildfire is under investigation.

MWF068 was discovered on July 10 and is located approximately 2.5 km northeast of Lazar Lake. 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.

MWF090 was discovered on July 24 and is located 12.5 km southeast of Anzac. It is classified as being held and is estimated to be 5.5 ha in size. There are 17 firefighters responding to this wildfire, with the support of two helicopters.

MWF091 was discovered on July 25. It is located 10 km southwest of Fort McMurray and 27 km west of Gregoire Lake Estates. It is classified as being held and is estimated to be 2 ha in size. Four firefighters are responding to this wildfire with the support of two helicopters.

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

Fire Ban banner

A fire ban is in effect as of 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.

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:

Damien Fear

Wildfire Information Officer | Fort McMurray Forest Area

Phone:780-743-7341

Email: damien.fear@rfs.nsw.gov.com.au

Isabelle Chenard

Wildfire Information Officer | MCX002 Cattail Complex | MCX003 Algar Lake Complex

Phone: 587-919-7419

Email: isabelle.chenard@ontario.ca

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