High Level Area Update

If you see smoke or flame in the forest and suspect it's a wildfire, call 310-FIRE (3473) immediately.

 A firefighter works to extinguish a hot spot north of the town of High Level (July 9, 2024)

A fire restriction is in place for the High Level and Fort McMurray Forest Areas.

Under this restriction:

• Existing fire permits are restricted, suspended or cancelled and no new fire permits will be issued.
• Safe wood campfires within fire rings in campgrounds are allowed.

Prohibited on public lands, including backcountry and random camping areas:

• All outdoor wood fires.
• Fires fueled exclusively by charcoal briquettes.
• The use of fireworks and exploding targets.

Allowed in designated campgrounds on private and public land, designated day use areas and on privately owned land:

• Safe wood campfires.
• Backyard fire pits, charcoal briquette barbeques.
• Propane/ natural gas-powered appliances CSA approved or UL certified.

HWF102, which is currently burning OUT OF CONTROL, is estimated to be 2,924 ha in size. The wildfire is located 34 km southeast of Tall Cree South and 38 km east of Wadlin Lake, and its cause was determined to have been caused by lightning.

HCX001 - SEMO WILDFIRE COMPLEX | HWF053, HWF061, HWF081, HWF083

The Semo Wildfire Complex is located north of John D'Or Prairie, Garden River and Fox Lake. It includes the Caribou Mountains P.P, between the Ponton and the Wentzel River. This wildfire is currently being overseen by an incident management team. Additional resources have been requested and will be arriving in the coming days.

A heavy (K-MAX) helicopter conducts heli-bucketing on a Semo Complex wildfire (July 9, 2024).

Expand (click) to view the full public map of the Semo wildfire complex.

INFORMATION STATION

Visit Alberta Wildfire staff for information, giveaways and kids games.

Fox Lake at the band office - Wednesday, July 10 from 1-3 p.m. 

Garden River at the band office - Thursday, July 11 from 1-3 p.m. 

Tomorrow, the weather forecast is calling for temperatures of 31C with a relative humidity of 30% with winds out of the east-northeast at 10-15 km/h. There is a heat warning, as well as an extreme fire behaviour risk for tomorrow. This means that high intensity and very fast-moving spread will be expected with certain conditions. It will be a challenging day for firefighters and equipment on the line.

HWF053 is currently burning OUT OF CONTROL approximately 42 km northeast of John D'or Prairie community boundary, 37 km northwest of the centre of Garden River and 34 north of Fox Lake community boundary. It's estimated to be 510 ha in size. The wildfire remains under investigation.

HWF061 is currently burning OUT OF CONTROL 27 km northeast of Jon D'or, 22 km north of Fox Lake and 32 km northwest of Garden River. The closest part of the wildfire is approximately 12 km to highway 58. We’re now measuring from the northeast corner of the community boundary line to the closest fire perimeter, so you will see adjustments moving forward. Keep in mind that even though the fire is over 30 km away from Garden River the fire is 12 km from highway 58 and that will impact egress for the community of Garden River. The measurement from the fire perimeter to the closest point on highway 58 is what is most important for the area of Garden River.

The wildfire is growing with the significant heat wave over the last few days. Rising temperatures will still play a factor in wildfire spread. The wildfire is now estimated to be 19,130 ha in size and caused by lightning. Heavy equipment operators continue both day and night to the south perimeter of the fire to gain better access. Heavy equipment is working on the east side to build a safe zone for crews while operators on the west side are building extra dozer guard lines. Additional dozer guards are created for firefighters and equipment for safety.

Helicopters will continue to bucket along priority areas along the north perimeter due to increased fire activity. There was some spread throughout the whole fire but spread is mostly on the north perimeter. Firefighters will begin actioning the fire when safe zones are completed and are ready to access. A weather inversion is keeping smoke low on the fire and making access difficult.

There will be larger smoke columns visible from communities and most of these smoke columns are coming from the north perimeter as it moves north away from the community. There was minimal activity on the south perimeter, but the intense fire behaviour is on the north side. These smoke columns will happen more frequently today and in the coming days and are expected as hot, dry, windy conditions persist.

HWF081 is OUT OF CONTROL at 11,704 ha. When firefighters are safe to do so they will work the northwest edge of the perimeter to secure containment lines. This fire is challenging due to the high intensity of the fire, but crews are determined to gain ground, it will just take some time. Firefighters are being supported by helicopters that will bucket on priority areas.

HWF083 is OUT OF CONTROL at 15,765 ha continues to grow under dry conditions. Firefighters will continue to monitor this wildfire and provide support when needed.

All of these wildfires are within the Caribou Mountain Wildland P.P. and have been determined to be caused by lightning. These wildfires are located approximately 50 km north of John D'Or Prairie.

HCX002 - AMBER RIVER COMPLEX | HWF030, HWF072, HWF075, HWF076, HWF089, HWF101

An incident management team is in command of the personnel and resources assigned to the Amber River Complex and its six wildfires. There are currently 96 firefighters, nine helicopters and eight pieces of heavy equipment engaged on the wildfires within the Amber Complex. The wildfires in this complex do not currently threaten any communities.

HWF072 is burning OUT OF CONTROL and is now estimated to cover an area 2,800 ha in size (there was some growth overnight). This wildfire, which is approximately 78 km northwest of Chateh and about 60 km west of Zama City, does not currently pose a threat to any communities and its cause is under investigation.

Airtankers are being used, when available, and as opportunities arise. These aerial fire suppression activities, and those of firefighters on the ground, are being augmented by the work of heavy equipment operators. 

HWF047 (Melvin River) is currently burning OUT OF CONTROL approximately 40 km north-northeast of the town of High Level and 25 km east of Highway 35. The wildfire is now estimated to be 1,375 ha in size. The wildfire does not currently pose a threat to any communities and its cause remains under investigation.

To view these and other wildfires in the province, view our interactive map by following the active wildfire link. 

HTZ001 is a mutual aid wildfire that originated in the border zone with the Northwest Territories (N.W.T.) in 2023. The Alberta portion of this fire, south of the border, is now classified as BEING HELD, which means that the wildfire is not expected to grow past its current boundaries.

Increased wildfire activity was observed today, northeast of Bistcho Lake, with some growth to the south and east.  

Firefighters are using natural breaks and airtankers to build containment line in hopes to reduce the spread towards the east. 

This recent burn within the High Level Forest Area covers an estimated 30,520 hectares ha. Please see NWT Wildfire Update Map and the South Slave SS009-24 Update for more information on their activities and wildfire status in the N.W.T. area. 

This wildfire may cause highway closures, visit Alberta 511 or download the app for up-to-date information. 

FireSmart is a national program that helps Canadians increase their resilience to wildfire. Whether you are a homeowner, resident, business, local government, or Indigenous community, you can take small steps with lasting impacts.

Vegetation management, broadly speaking, is the modification of wildland fuels (vegetation that can contribute to wildfire is known simply as ‘fuel’) for the purpose of mitigating the potential intensities and impact of wildfire. Intuitively vegetation management as a strategy for reducing wildfire hazard makes a lot of sense: wildfire requires fuel, in the form of vegetation, to burn; if we can change the fuel, we can change the wildfires behaviour. For suggestions on landscaping tips, you can view the FireSmart Guide to Landscaping. 

To learn more on how you can protect your home, visit FireSmart Alberta. For farm or acreages, you can download the Farm and Acreage FireSmart magazine.

WILDFIRE INFORMATION