Fort McMurray Area Update (35)

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 per cent 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 235 personnel working on this complex, including 128 firefighters. There are 19 helicopters and 30 pieces of heavy equipment assigned to the complex. A new incident management team took over responsibility for this complex yesterday.

MWF047 – 104,619 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 – 17,962 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.

All three wildfires are expected to be active today, but winds are expected to be lighter than yesterday. Crews continue to work on strengthening the containment lines, with the support of helicopters who are bucketing on hot spots. Their work is focused on the southwest edge of MWF047 and the northwest edge of MWF077. Ground retardant continues to be applied to power poles in the area.

A high of 24C with a relative humidity of 30 per cent is expected today. Winds from the northeast at 15 to 20 km/h, gusting to 30 km/h, are forecasted.

MWF047 is active on the northwestern edge on July 24, 2024.

MCX003 - Algar Lake Complex

MWF069 – classified as out of control - estimated at 17,127 hectares
MWF086 – classified as out of control - estimated at 1,682 hectares
LWF165 - classified as out of control – estimated at 1,750 hectares

There are 152 personnel from Alberta, New Brunswick, Ontario and Australia assigned to the Algar Lake Complex, as well as ten 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.

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.

Firefighters made good progress on the northeast corner of MWF069 yesterday. They will continue to patrol and action hot spots moving inward from the established perimeter on the northeast corner. They will also continue working northward along the perimeter with the support of bucketing helicopters. Aerial resources will also be focusing on the eastern flank throughout the day. Fire activity remained low to moderate yesterday under windy conditions.

Heavy equipment teams are continuing to extend control lines north of the northeast corner of fire MWF069.

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.

Monday night into Tuesday, fire activity caused traffic disruptions, as Alberta Transportation temporarily closed the highway in both directions due to the fire’s spread toward the west and across from the east side of Highway 63. The roadway had reopened as of early Tuesday morning.

Heavy equipment have completed control lines around the portion of LWF165 which is located on the west side of the highway.

Firefighters will continue to establish containment lines today on the west side of Highway 63, while also actioning hot spots, with the aim of limiting any further impacts to the roadway.

Travellers along highway 63 may see bucketing helicopters picking up water to the east of the roadway as they work on hot spots throughout the day. For the safety of all travellers and of emergency personnel, please do not stop along the roadway to watch the air operations.

Smoke continues to drift into the area of the Algar Lake Complex from active fires in northern Alberta, northern Saskatchewan and the Canadian Territories. Please ensure you have your lights turned on when travelling in the area, and drive according to the conditions.

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

Today’s forecast calls for a high of 24C with low relative humidity values of 50 per cent. Winds are expected to be northeasterly at 10-15 km/h. There is a 60 percent chance of precipitation overnight into Thursday, with 2-5 mm of rain in the forecast and a possibility of thunderstorms.

Infrared scanning was completed on MWF069 last evening. Scans for MWF086 and LWF165 were rescheduled due to windy conditions.

LWF165 July 23 firefighter

A firefighter works the western portion of LWF165 (evening of 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. Eleven are out of control, eight are being held and four are under control.

Since January 1, 2024 there have been 90 wildfires in the Fort McMurray Forest Area, burning a total of approximately 214,394 hectares (ha).

MWF010 was discovered on April 21 and is located near the Birch Mountains. It is classified as under control at 7,976 ha in size. This means that this wildfire is contained and will be extinguished. This wildfire was human-caused.

MWF043 was discovered on July 2 and is located approximately 18 km west of the Athabasca River and 56 km south of the southern Wood Buffalo National Park border. 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 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.

MWF065 was discovered July 9 and is located approximately 7 km southeast of Highway 63 and approximately 3.4 km from Maqua Lake. It is classified as under control and is estimated to be 6 ha in size. This wildfire was caused by lightning.

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.

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.

Fire danger map - July 24 2024

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

Phone: 780-799-9253

Email:emily.smith@gov.ab.ca

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