NASA FIRMS fire information is an estimate and can often make a wildfire appear larger than it actually is — or appear to impact areas that it does not.
A fire ban remains in effect for the forest protection area of Alberta, including the High Level Forest Area.
The forest area may experience heavy smoke over communities at times. Contact 811 for wildfire and smoke-related health concerns.
If you see smoke or flame and suspect it's a wildfire, call 310-FIRE (3473).
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.
Fire crews from Little Red River Cree Nation (LRRCN) take a well-deserved break from their fire suppression duties while working on the line on HWF136, which is part of the Semo Wildfire Complex (July 22, 2024). Measurable progress was made on HWF061 and HWF136 today due to the insights and knowledge of local LRRCN resources.
EVACUATION ALERTS AND ORDERS
EVACUATION ORDERS are now in effect for all three LRRCN communities: John D'Or Prairie, Fox Lake and Garden River (July 20).
The Alberta Emergency Management Agency (AEMA) advises that Garden River is under an evacuation order, as of July 10. For more details, please visit Alberta Emergency Alert website.
AEMA advises that the communities of John D'Or Prairie and Fox Lake are now also under an evacuation order (effective July 20). For more details, please visit https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-emergency-alert.aspx.
You can also follow Little Red River Cree Nation’s (LRRCN) Facebook page for updates at https://www.facebook.com/lrrcn or their website at https://lrrcn.ab.ca/.
HIGH LEVEL FOREST AREA | WILDFIRE SITUATION
The wildfire danger in the High Level Forest Area is EXTREME. This means that forest fuels are extremely dry and pose a serious fire risk. Fast-spreading, high-intensity fires are likely, which are very difficult to contain and control.
There are currently 36 wildfires burning in the High Level Forest Area. Of these, 12 are out of control, 12 are being held, and 14 are classified as under control. Two of these wildfires are carry-over fires from the 2023 season. There are also two wildfires along borders: one shared with B.C. and one with the N.W.T.
Since January 1, 2024, there have been 147 wildfires in the High Level Forest Area, burning a total of 321,667 hectares (ha). Our GIS mapping specialists have very recently completed a close reassessment of wildfire sizes across the High Level Forest Area, which accounts for the significant increase in the number of hectares burned this year and posted on this area update tonight.
NASA FIRMS Fire Information website is a great resource to give an approximate location of hotspots in an area, but cannot always be used to determine specifically where a wildfire is burning. The heat from smoke columns, reflections from water and other heat signatures will appear on the map. It's important to note that the data is based on a mathematical estimate (interpolation) and can often make a wildfire appear larger than it actually is.
You can view the location and statistics of these wildfires on our interactive map by following the active wildfire link. Visit our website to learn more about wildfire classifications.
HIGH LEVEL FOREST AREA | ACTIVE WILDFIRES OF INTEREST
WEATHER FORECAST
Tomorrow, a high of 28C and 50% relative humidity is expected in the forest area. Winds from the southeast 25 km/h gusting to 40 km/h will shift in the afternoon to southwest 25 km/h gusting to 45 km/h. The winds in the afternoon could push the wildfires towards the northeast. Thunder and rain showers with no significant rain are forecasted in the coming days.
HCX001 – SEMO COMPLEX (HWF053, HWF061, HWF081, HWF083, HWF136, HWF141)
The Semo Wildfire Complex is located north of John D'Or Prairie, Garden River and Fox Lake. A few of the wildfires in this complex are located within Caribou Mountains Provincial Park, between the Ponton and the Wentzel River. An incident management team is in place on this wildfire complex, and response efforts of Alberta crews (including those from the Little Red River Cree Nation) are being aided by firefighters from Alaska, Ontario, P.E.I. and New Brunswick.
Firefighters from New Brunswick build, set up and establish a pump site, a necessary part of being able to extinguish hot spots, on the southwest side of HWF061, which is part of the Semo Wildfire Complex (July 22, 2024).
There are currently 415 firefighters and support personnel, 14 helicopters and 51 pieces of heavy equipment currently working on the Semo Wildfire Complex.
HWF061 is a lightning-caused wildfire currently burning OUT OF CONTROL and was last estimated to be 96,274 hectares (ha). This wildfire is approximately 19 km northeast of John D'Or Prairie’s main community and approximately 12 km north of Fox Lake.
HWF136 is currently burning OUT OF CONTROL at approximately 4,763 ha in size. This wildfire is now located adjacent to Highway 58, due to successful ignition operations yesterday (July 21). It remains north of Highway 58 and is an estimated 13 km northwest of Garden River.
HWF053 is currently burning OUT OF CONTROL. This wildfire is located directly above HWF061 and is estimated to be 709 ha in size. This wildfire was determined to have been caused by lightning. It is currently being monitored.
Other fires on this complex are within or nearby Caribou Mountain Wildland Provincial Park. Most of these wildfires have been determined to be caused by lightning, but the newer ones’ causes remain under investigation. These fires will be monitored by fire personnel, with aircraft and further support as required. These wildfires include: HWF141, which is currently burning OUT OF CONTROL north of HWF061 and east of HWF081, covering approximately 2,038 ha; HWF081, which is OUT OF CONTROL and last estimated at 48,190 ha; and HWF083, which is OUT OF CONTROL at 32,840 ha.
Fire Operations
Air operations were again grounded today, due to low visibility. The heavy, dense smoke kept relative humidity levels higher than forecasted and temperatures cooler, leading to minimal fire growth and lower fire activity. Today, some measurable progress was made on HWF061 and HWF136 due to the insights and knowledge of local Little Red River Cree Nation (LRRCN) resources. Because of this LRRCN input, firefighters were able to co-develop new containment strategies and increase ground access to wildfire perimeters.
Firefighters established containment line in the southwestern edge of HWF061 today, working west from the intersection of Foggy Tower Road and HWF061’s perimeter. Tomorrow, they’ll continue this work, extinguishing hot spots along the perimeter up to 10-feet in. On another area of HWF061, firefighters gained access to the fire’s southernmost edge, closest to Highway 58. They spent time getting a more accurate idea of the fire’s perimeter and gathered information for use in further developing a response strategy for this part of the fire.
On HWF136 today, five Little Red River Cree Nation fire crews joined with one crew of 20 firefighters and actioned the ignition section of the wildfire. Their work focused on the perimeter along Highway 58, along the dozer access guard and on three cabins in the area. They are extinguishing hot spots 10-feet into the fire perimeter and once that’s achieved, they’ll return and work further in to establish a 100-ft extinguishment line around the fire perimeter. Little Red River Cree Nation firefighters are also doing extinguishment work on cabins in the area that were protected and reinforced with dozer guards – they began extinguishing hotspots 10-ft into the burned areas surrounding cabins.
Night operations will continue tonight, with heavy equipment operators creating containment lines through the night and a four-person crew from the structure protection unit on patrol. Additionally, a night vision helicopter will be requested to complete some operational targets, if visibility permits.
Heavy equipment operators keep up their good work at pushing in containment lines throughout the area. On HWF136, dozers continued tight-lining, which is when a containment line is created as close to the fire’s perimeter as possible, along the wildfire’s south-east/east edge. They pushed through some swampy areas earlier today and will continue this work tomorrow. A hotshot crew of 20 firefighters followed behind the heavy equipment group, working to ensure there are no ember transfers or spot fires.
Little Red River Cree Nation’s heavy equipment operators continued their work to create resiliency for cabins located north of Highway 58 by building guards around each structure. This heavy equipment group is close to completing their objectives and will continue until the guards are on all known cabins. The removal of fuel along the northern side of Highway 58 is nearing completion, with heavy equipment operators completing 10 km of line west of Foggy Tower Road and 5 km east of the road. They’ll continue this work overnight and into tomorrow, if needed.
The structure protection unit (SPU) continues to assess John D’or Prairie, setting up high-pressure water lines and completing FireSmart work.
Weather Forecast | Semo Complex
Overnight, the temperature is forecast to be 18 with a relative humidity (RH) of 70. Winds will be SE at 15 km/hr for most of the night but will increase steadily early morning. Tomorrow is predicted to reach a high of 24, with a RH of 40. A different weather system is expected to move in starting tomorrow, with larger, more variable winds anticipated. Winds will primarily be 15-10 km/hr tomorrow afternoon, with gusts between 35-45 km/hr. With the large increases in wind, we may see higher levels of fire behaviour and could expect to see significant fire growth tomorrow evening and into Wednesday.
There is a downtrend coming toward the end of the week with the forecast calling for cooler temperatures and some precipitation, which would help firefighting efforts for a few days but is not enough precipitation to make a large impact on wildfires.
Expand (click) to view the full public map of the Semo wildfire complex.
HCX002 - MELVIN RIVER COMPLEX* | BISTCHO LAKE (part of HTZ001), HWF030, HWF047, HWF065, HWF072, HWF075 and HWF091
*The Amber River Complex has been blended into the Melvin River Complex.
An incident management team is responsible for the personnel and resources assigned to the Amber River Complex and its eight wildfires: Bistcho Lake (HTZ001), HWF030, HWF047, HWF065, HWF072, HWF074, HWF075 and HWF091). There are currently 69 personnel, 12 helicopters and five pieces of heavy equipment working on the wildfires within the Amber Complex. The wildfires in this complex do not currently threaten any communities.
Our GIS mapping specialists have very recently completed a close reassessment of wildfire sizes across the High Level Forest Area, which accounts for the significant increases noted (on this update) in the number of hectares burned on some of the wildfires in this complex.
Please note that limited visibility is still impacting air operations in most areas of the wildfire complex.
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 is currently burning OUT OF CONTROL. Some reassessments of structural protection are ongoing.
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.
HWF091, which is located NW of HWF065, is BEING HELD and is estimated to cover an area 3,492 ha. Monitoring of this wildfire is ongoing.
HWF072, which is approximately 60 km northwest of Chateh, is burning OUT OF CONTROL and is estimated to cover an area 18,170 ha in size. Heli-bucketing is being conducted on the west side of this wildfire as conditions and visibility permit.
HWF065 is currently BEING HELD and is estimated to cover an area 36,067 ha in size. This wildfire is about 2 km southwest of Bistcho Lake and was determined to have been caused by lightning.
HWF047 is burning OUT OF CONTROL and is now estimated to cover an area of 1,707 ha in size, after some growth was observed on the east side. This wildfire was determined to have been caused by lightning. Helicopters are assisting firefighters to contain this wildfire; however, limited visibility is still impacting air operations.
WF030 is BEING HELD and is estimated to cover an area 3,221 ha in size. The cause of this fire is under investigation. Heavy equipment work continues on perimeter areas of this wildfire. Fire crews are working on expanding containment lines to 100 feet, which is aimed at moving areas from containment to controlled, as conditions permit.
OTHER WILDFIRES IN THE HIGH LEVEL FOREST AREA
HWF133 is burning OUT OF CONTROL and estimated to be 336 ha in size. The cause of this fire is under investigation.
HWF121 is burning OUT OF CONTROL and estimated to be 6,790 ha in size. The cause of this fire is under investigation.
HWF115 is classified as BEING HELD, which means that given current weather conditions and resources, the wildfire is not anticipated to grow past expected boundaries. It's now estimated to be 15 ha in size.
HWF102 is being held and estimated to be 6,958 ha in size. The fire was determined to have been caused by lightning.
To view these and other wildfires in the province, view our interactive map by following the active wildfire link.
PROVINCIAL WILDFIRE SITUATION (as of 10 a.m., July 22)
The fire danger is extreme throughout most of the province.
Since January 1, 2024 in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta, there have been 925 wildfires burning a total of 488,513 hectares (ha).
Last year, on this date, there were 885 wildfires that burnt a total of 2,160,124 ha. In the past five years on this date, an average of 742 wildfires had burnt an average of 624,448 ha.
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 and learn what is prohibited and allowed under this ban.
The fire ban will remain in effect until conditions improve.
FIRE PERMITS REQUIRED
At this time, the High Level Forest Area is not issuing any permits. All existing permits are currently suspended.
High Level Forest Area | Permit Line: 780-926-5407. Stay informed of fire restrictions and fire bans in your area by checking Alberta Fire Bans.
DANGEROUS TREES | Be extra cautious near burnt areas and avoid forested areas that have been recently affected by wildfire. Hazards remain from deep ash pits, burning peat and falling trees or branches, especially if windy.
SMOKE | Lingering smoke may still be visible in some areas and in affected communities. Smoke inversions can trap air near the ground causing dangerous driving conditions and poor air quality. Please use extra caution when driving in smoky conditions. To see forecasted smoke, please visit FireSmoke.ca. If you have smoke related health concerns, please visit or contact Alberta 811.
ALBERTA HEALTH WILDFIRE RESOURCES | You can visit Alberta Health Services for information on how you or your loved ones can access resources related to wildfire impacts and smoke concerns.
DRONES | The use of recreational drones over wildfires in Alberta is dangerous, illegal and could result in a fine of up to $15,000* for putting aircraft and people at risk. Please give firefighters the space they need to do their jobs safely. *Transport Canada.
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
- Visit firesmoke.ca to view smoke drifts in the area
- Call 811 for smoke related health concerns
- For evacuation information please visit https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-emergency-alert.aspx
- Download the Alberta Wildfire app today and get access to accurate, real-time information on wildfires in your area. You can also find information on fire advisories, restrictions and bans across the province and much more all on your mobile device. Available for Apple and Android.
- Before heading out, check the fire bans website or download the app to determine if there are any fire advisories, fire restrictions or fire bans in effect for your destination.
- Subscribe to the High Level Forest Area Update to receive an email when new information is posted. Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
- Missed an issue of the High Level Forest area Wildfire Update? You can find previous updates on our website.
- For evacuation orders and alerts in the Province visit Alberta Emergency Alerts or your community webpage for more information.
- For road closure information, visit Alberta 511 or download the app.
- To see all the wildfires burning in Alberta click here.
- Learn how you can prepare yourself for a wildfire with some tips and tricks on wildfire preparedness.
