High Level Area Update

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

This update is best viewed on a web browser or the AB Wildfire Status App | View previous High Level Forest Area Updates. Bold indicates new or important information.

A fire ban is in effect as of July 10 in the entire Forest Protection Area of Alberta, including the High Level 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.

Visit Alberta Fire Bans to see if a fire ban or restriction is in place in your area.

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.

HCX001 - SEMO WILDFIRE COMPLEX | HWF053, HWF061, HWF081, HWF083, HWF136

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.

Early morning briefing before crews from Alberta and Ontario head to the fireline. (July 17, 2024.)

Today, the weather forecast is calling for temperatures of 30C with a relative humidity of 25% with winds out of the southwest at 15 km/h. We expect temperatures to increase into the week and this will influence fire behaviour.

HWF136 was detected July 16 at 3:20 pm and is currently burning OUT OF CONTROL at six hectares in size. It is approximately 18 km northwest of Garden River and 8 km north of highway 58. A night vision helicopter will bucket on this wildfire overnight.

HWF053 is currently burning OUT OF CONTROL and is estimated to be 709 ha in size. The wildfire remains under investigation.

HWF061 is currently burning OUT OF CONTROL 16 km northeast of Jon D'or Prairie, 19 km north of Fox Lake and 30 km northwest of Garden River. The closest part of the wildfire is approximately 9 km to highway 58. The wildfire is now estimated to be 49,879 ha in size and caused by lightning.

There was fire activity observed along the west and northeast side yesterday afternoon. The fire activity will get more intense near the end of the week as we’re in a drying trend. Heavy equipment is working on the southeast side to build dozer guard towards the northeast. This group of equipment will also widen the south access point to the wildfire for better crew access. Due to a weather inversion and low laying smoke access to the fire is limited and crews will continue to action along the south perimeter when it is safe to do so. Helicopters are still bucking on the wildfire and will cool the edges of spread to the west. Airtankers will be utilized if they can be used effectively.

The structure protection unit that was called in to protect infrastructure in Garden River has completed their work and will continue to maintain their system in the community as a precaution. As a precautionary measure, structure protection plans have been created for Fox Lake and John D’Or Prairie.

HWF081 is OUT OF CONTROL at 46,637 ha continues to grow under current conditions and was most active on the west and northeast. Firefighters and aircraft will monitor this fire and provide support when needed.

HWF083 is OUT OF CONTROL at 30,104 ha At this time, no significant runs have been observed. 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 35-40 km north of John D'Or Prairie.

There are 233 firefighters and support staff, ten helicopters and 48 pieces of heavy equipment assigned to the Semo Complex. Additional resources are on the way to support firefighting activities.

EVACUATION ALERTS AND ORDERS

Alberta Emergency Alert has stated that Garden River is under an evacuation order. To find more details please visit https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-emergency-alert.aspx and open the more details tab.

You can also follow Little Red River Cree Nation’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/lrrcn or their website https://lrrcn.ab.ca/.

There will be information posted on the information board at the entrance of Horizon Camp in John D’Or Prairie at 9:30 a.m. daily.

HCX002 - AMBER RIVER COMPLEX | BISTCHO LAKE (HTZ001), HWF030, HWF065, HWF072, HWF075 and HWF091

An incident management team is responsible for the personnel and resources assigned to the Amber River Complex and its seven wildfires: Bistcho Lake (HTZ001), HWF030, HWF065, HWF072, HWF074, HWF075 and HWF091). There are currently 132 personnel, 12 helicopters and 4 pieces of heavy equipment working on the wildfires within the Amber Complex. The wildfires in this complex do not currently threaten any communities. As opportunities arise, infrared scanning will take place to aid in identified priority areas for resource placement.

An intermediate helicopter located at the Amber River Complex captured on Tuesday evening.

(Photo credit: Dave Hall - July 16, 2024)

Today, the weather forecast is calling for temperatures of 34C with a relative humidity of 15-20% with SW winds at 15 km/h. We expect temperatures to increase into the week, and this will influence fire behaviour.

Smoke columns may be visible for residents in nearby communities into the afternoon and evening as these times are usually peak burning periods. Intense fire behaviour is expected Wednesday and Thursday due to dry conditions.

HTZ001 is a mutual aid wildfire that originated in the border zone with the Northwest Territories (N.W.T.) in 2023. The BISTCHO LAKE section of HTZ001, which is estimated to cover an area of 95,000 ha, is actively burning on the NE and SE sides of Bistcho Lake, and its status is OUT OF CONTROL.

Impacts from smoke drift may impact operational abilities on this wildfire today; however, Firetack crews will continue to work on 100-foot guards around values while working on extinguishing hot spots with bucketing support.

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.

HWF030 is OUT OF CONTROL and is estimated to cover an area 3,200 ha in size. The cause of this fire is under investigation. By Tuesday end of day, dozers completed a catguard along the south side of the fire, and Firetack crews began to establish hose lines along the containment line, which they will continue working on today.

HWF065 is burning OUT OF CONTROL and is estimated to cover an area 9,981 ha in size. This wildfire is about 15 km southwest of Bistcho Lake and was determined to have been caused by lightning. By end of day Tuesday, this wildfire exhibited extreme fire behaviour, seeing growth on the east side of the fire. Crews will continue to monitor and assess for impacts to values.

HWF072 is burning OUT OF CONTROL and is estimated to cover an area 3,700 ha in size. This wildfire was determined to have been caused by lightning. 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. By end of day Tuesday, Firetack crews made good progress on the south end of the wildfire, minimal growth was observed. The north and east ends of the wildfire saw continuous growth on Tuesday.

HWF075 is UNDER CONTROL and is estimated to cover an area 3 ha in size. This wildfire was determined to have been caused by lightning.

HWF091 was recently added to the Amber River Complex of wildfires. This 775 ha wildfire is located northeast of HWF065 and is being monitored.

OTHER FIRES IN THE HIGH LEVEL FOREST AREA

HWF133 is burning OUT OF CONTROL and is estimated to cover an area 29 ha in size. The cause of this fire is under investigation. Yesterday, night-vision-equipped helicopters (NVIS) actioned the wildfire and air tankers were used as needed.

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

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 is the modification of wildland fuels for the purpose of mitigating the potential intensities and impact of wildfire. 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 wildfire's 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