Fort McMurray Area Update (49)

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.

Hangingstone Provincial Recreation Area and Richardson Wildland Park have been closed to the public effective immediately.

67% of wildfires are human-caused, everyone plays a role in preventing wildfires. Take the wildfire pledge to reduce wildfires and be entered to win a helicopter tour! Go to alberta.ca/wildfire-pledge.

Wildfire MCX002 - Cattail Complex

There are several wildfires that are all being managed together under MCX002. This includes MWF047, MWF056, MWF057, MWF077 and MWF079. All of these wildfires are classified as under control, except for MWF047, MWF077 and MWF079. All of these wildfires were caused by lightning.

There are 264 personnel currently working on this complex, including 150 firefighters, 66 incident management team members, support staff, contractors and pilots. We have 18 helicopters and 30 pieces of heavy equipment working this complex.

MWF047 is the largest wildfire that's included in this complex and is classified as out of control. It is estimated to be 81,015 ha in size.

With the fire growth we had yesterday, MWF047 is now approximately 6.8 km northeast of industrial facilities, about 53 km northeast of Fort McKay and 68 km northeast of Fort McMurray.

Yesterday, we did have some fire growth to the north and southeast, however not as much growth as expected. Since the winds were light yesterday, the wildfire mostly burned where it had a good fuel source and was not wind driven. We have been using all the tools and resources available to us to help contain this complex.

Dozer guards are being extended as far as possible. They ran into a few areas that were too wet to continue. Plans have been developed to redeploy these dozers to MWF077, which identify the most effective location of the dozer guard.

See the most recent map available for MWF047.

MWF077 is a part of this complex. It was discovered on July 11, is classified as out of control and is estimated to be 6,075 ha in size.

With the fire growth we had yesterday, MWF077 is now approximately 13.7 km south of industrial facilities, about 46 km east of Fort McKay and 38 km northeast of Fort McMurray.

Today, crews are going to be working on the northwest corner of the perimeter where airtankers put fire retardant yesterday to help strengthen that line. Fire retardant helps to slow fire growth but typically doesn't stop it. This buys time for crews to get in there to put in some good work. They will continue this work as long as it is safe.

Most of the fire growth on this wildfire was towards the northeast. The wildfire seemed to respond well to helicopters bucketing on this portion of the fire. We still expect challenging firefighting days ahead.

Last night, we again had two nighttime capable helicopters completing bucketing operations overnight. This is a very effective way to fight wildfires since fire activity is subdued. These nighttime capable machines were shared between this complex and the Algar Lake complex.

Today, the forecast predicts a high of 30 degrees Celsius and a low relative humidity of 35%. Winds are expected to come out of the south-southwest at 10-15 km/h, gusting up to 30. There's a 40 per cent chance of rain and thundershowers, with only 1-2 mm expected. If we receive the rain, it will have no impact on the wildfire.

The forecast is predicting conditions conducive to extreme fire behaviour from Wednesday to Friday. This means we can expect some significant fire growth. The forecast for the next few days predict that we will have very challenging firefighting days ahead of us.

A scan was completed again last night for MWF047 and MWF077 and identified fire growth and hotspots. These scans are crucial for prioritizing resources to the parts of the wildfire that require it most.

See the most recent map available for MWF077.

(Crews are working to strengthen containment lines on the northwest side of MWF077, July 15, 2024)

Wildfire MCX003 - Algar Lake Complex

MWF069 measures 12,183 hectares and is classified as out of control. This fire started on July 10 as a series of smaller lightning-caused fires that all merged and became MWF069. A recently refined fire perimeter can be found on the Alberta Wildfire Dashboard.

This merged wildfire is located approximately:

11 km west of Highway 63
40 km southwest of Fort McMurray

The next few days are expected to bring temperatures near or above thirty degrees and lower relative humidity values. Weather conditions will be favorable for significant fire behavior and fire spread.

Today’s forecast shows a high of 30 degrees Celsius with 35 per cent relative humidity values. Southerly winds are expected at 10 km/h, shifting to come from the southwest at 10-15 km/h. There is a 30 per cent chance of precipitation, but only 1-2 mm are forecast. This precipitation is unlikely to have any impact on fire activity, and we expect the potential for high fire behaviour and fire growth.

We continue to anticipate progressively warmer and drier conditions throughout the week, and the continued potential for increasing fire behaviour.

As of Tuesday morning, 157 personnel are assigned to the Algar Lake Complex. Among them are forest firefighters, heavy equipment operators, structure protection staff and a 15-person incident management team.

Crews continue to prioritize firefighting operations on the northeast corner of the fire perimeter today, more generally on the east side of the fire, to limit fire spread eastward toward highway 63.

Seven helicopters are assigned to the incident. Among them are two helicopters equipped with belly tanks with the capacity to drop water onto active areas of the fire; helicopters that are bucketing water on hot spots and supporting wildland firefighting crews on the ground; transport helicopters for personnel; as well as helicopters that are conducting slinging operations to move equipment to and from active work sites.

(An intermediate helicopter lands at the Algar Lake Complex after a bucketing operation – July 16, 2024)

Heavy equipment continue to make progress extending and expanding contingency lines on the east side of the fire.

This complex has created a large smoke column which has been visible in Fort McMurray and surrounding areas. Smoke is expected to increase throughout week due to the forecast conditions.

If you are out enjoying the waterways today with the warmer summer weather, please remember to keep an eye out for aircraft that may be skimming water for fire suppression operations. Should you see them in the airspace overhead, move toward the shore to allow them ample room to operate safely. Encroaching waterbombing aircraft on waterways can lead to delays in fire suppression.

Download the 511 app to stay up to date on any road closures in Alberta. This wildfire could impact visibility on Highway 63, always drive with extreme caution.

MCX004 - Rabbit Lake Complex

MWF060, MWF078, and MWF074)

MWF060 is located approximately 6 km east of the Slave Lake Forest Area border and the Fort McMurray Forest Area border and estimated to be 5007 ha in size. This wildfire is classified as out of control and was caused by lightning.

MWF074 is located northeast of MWF060, is 0.2 ha in size and is classified as out of control.

MWF078 is located southwest of MWF060, is 120 ha in size, and is classified as out of control.

Currently, we have 24 firefighters and five helicopters working to contain this complex. Fire behaviour was lower today, which allowed crews to make progress on this complex.

(The Rabbit Lake complex was fairly quiet for fire behaviour, July 15, 2024)

Fire Ban banner

A fire ban is in effect as of 4 p.m. on 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.

We want to remind everyone that along with the rest of the forest area, there should be absolutely no wood campfires, charcoal barbeque, fireworks, or exploding targets in the Richardson backcountry. Conditions are very dry and hot and we want to reduce the chance of new wildfires starting.

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.

More information on the fire ban for Fort McMurray's Urban Service Area

For more information, visit Alberta Fire Bans.

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See the forecasted fire danger map

FORT MCMURRAY WILDFIRE UPDATE

Since January 1, 2024 there have been 81 wildfires in the Fort McMurray Forest Area, burning a total of approximately 137,736 hectares (ha).

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 150 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.

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.

MWF057 was discovered July 3 and is located approximately 65 km east of Fort McKay and approximately 70 km northeast of Fort McMurray. It is classified as being held and is estimated to be 13.8 ha in size. This wildfire was caused by lightning.

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.

MWF017 was discovered on May 9 and is located southwest of Fort McMurray. It is classified as under control at 18,593 ha. This means that this wildfire is contained and will be extinguished. The cause of this wildfire remains under investigation.

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.

MWF067 was discovered on July 10 and is located approximately 4 km southwest of Gregoire Lake 176. It is classified as under control and is currently 0.3 ha in size. This wildfire was caused by lightning.

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

SAFETY AROUND SKIMMERS (Water Bombers)

If you're planning to be out on the lake this weekend, please keep in mind that skimmer planes are often using various lakes to refill with water.

This is another critical resource for firefighting operations, so we ask anyone on water bodies to stay alert and watch out for skimmers. If you see a skimmer coming towards a water body, ensure you get within 30 metres of shore so they can safely refill.

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DRONES are not allowed to be flown within 5 nautical miles (or 9.3 kilometers) of a wildfire.

If you fly a drone within this distance of a wildfire, it immediately halts firefighting operations because it is not safe to be flying with drones in the air. The penalty for interfering with wildfire control operations can land you a court appearance, for more information go to the Government of Alberta website.
For more information from Transport Canada about drones near wildfires, visit Transport Canada's website.

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