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 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.

Colby Lachance, a wildfire information officer, discusses the fire situation with residents of the community of John D’Or Prairie, SW of HWF061 (part of the Semo Complex).

Weather Forecast | Semo Complex

Tomorrow, the weather forecast is calling for temperatures of 32C with a relative humidity of 20 percent and winds out of the SW at 10 km/h in the morning, shifting to 20 km/h from the S-SW around midday.

Smoke

Smoke columns may be visible into the afternoon as hot and dry conditions persist. This is expected as the complex is under a fire behaviour advisory, meaning that fast moving fire is anticipated.

HCX001 – Semo Complex

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. Today, firefighters from Alaska arrived to join those from Alberta, Ontario. P.E.I and New Brunswick already on the incident. Additional resources have been requested and will be arriving in the coming days.

HWF053 is currently burning OUT OF CONTROL. It's estimated to be 709 ha in size. 

HWF061 is currently burning OUT OF CONTROL 16 km northeast of Jon D'Or Prairie and 19 km north of Fox Lake. The nearest fire perimeter is 30 km northwest of Garden River. The fire perimeter is approximately 9 km from highway 58. The wildfire is now estimated to be 51,203 ha in size and was determined to have been caused by lightning.

There is active fire activity along the southwest side of the perimeter, which is presenting considerable challenges for firefighters and support personnel. The fire activity is expected to get more intense towards 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 equipment group will also work to widen the south access point to the wildfire for better crew access.

Due to a weather inversion in the mornings 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 bucketing on the wildfire and will cool the edges to limit spread to the west. Due to smoke limitations, airtankers will be used as conditions permit.

The structure protection unit (SPU) 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. The SPU was in John D’Or today, further assessing the community and the protection plan.

HWF081 is OUT OF CONTROL at 46,656 ha continues to grow under current conditions and was most active along the west and northeast yesterday. At this time no significant runs have been observed. Firefighters and aircraft will monitor this fire and provide support when needed.

HWF083 is OUT OF CONTROL at 30,161 ha. At this time there is minimal activity on this wildfire. Firefighters will continue to monitor this wildfire and provide support when needed.

HWF136 was detected July 16 at 3:20 pm and is currently burning OUT OF CONTROL at 88 ha in size. It is approximately 18 km northwest of Garden River and 8 km north of highway 58. Its cause remains under investigation. Heavy equipment worked this wildfire this afternoon and has started to wrap dozer guard around the perimeter. Due to low visibility, helicopters are having difficulty bucketing on the fire.

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 227 firefighters and support staff, 10 helicopters and 56 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 provides support at the Amber River Complex (July 17, 2024)

Weather Forecast | Amber River Complex

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

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 affected operational abilities on this wildfire today. Smoke drift prevented Firetack crews from being able to action this wildfire; however, three helicopters were able to bucket hot spots and around structural protection areas.

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 3050 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. Today, Firetack continued working on establishing hose lines. After smoky conditions eased by early afternoon, helicopters were able to support with bucketing.

HWF065 is burning OUT OF CONTROL and is estimated to cover an area 17,239 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 3,608 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 where minimal growth was observed. The north and east ends of the wildfire continue to see growth.

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. As of Wednesday early evening, lots of fire activity was seen on the north and east ends of this wildfire.

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. Air tankers were used today 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