The wildfire danger is very high in the High Level Forest Area. With the return of hot and windy conditions new wildfire starts have the potential to spread quickly. Please do your part and respect the Fire Ban and OHV Restriction. Help firefighters respond to new wildfires by calling 310-FIRE(3473).
Under this fire ban:
•All existing Fire Permits are suspended (or cancelled)
•No new Fire Permits will be issued
Prohibited:
•All outdoor wood fires are banned, including wood campfires on public lands, wood campfires on private land and provincial campgrounds
•Backyard firepits
•BBQ charcoal briquettes
•The use of fireworks and exploding targets
•The recreational use of off-highway vehicles (OHV) on public lands, including designated OHV trails
Allowed:
•Propane/natural gas-powered appliances
•Open flame oil devices (e.g., turkey deep fryers, tiki torches)
•Indoor wood fires contained within a device with a chimney and spark arrestor
•All appliances must be CSA approved and used per manufacturer’s standards
•Indigenous people when using an OHV for traditional purposes. Traditional purposes are hunting, fishing, and trapping – including the use of an OHV to travel to the location(s) for these purposes.
•Essential industry-related activities requiring the use of OHVs.
•Off-highway vehicle use is still permitted on private lands.
Stay away from active wildfire areas | For your safety and to ensure firefighters can do their job safely, please stay away from active wildfire areas. Your cooperation is essential.
Danger 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.
Reporting wildfires | Please do not report smoke or flame from within an active wildfire area. Firefighters are diverted from essential tasks to respond to fires reported by the public. You may see smoke or flame within the existing boundary of a wildfire, this is normal.
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, and take necessary precautions if you have smoke-related health 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 Alberta firefighters the space they need to do their jobs safely. *Transport Canada
There are nine wildfires in the High Level Forest Area. Of these fires, five are classified as out of control (OC), and four are under control (UC). Please see the updates below regarding the Paskwa Fire and the Long Lake Complex. To see a map of the wildfires in the High Level Forest Area and across the province please click here.
Wildfires of interest;
HWF065 | This fire is located approximately 42 km southeast of the South Tall Cree boundary, where the Wabasca River meets highway 88. This fire is classified as out of control (OC) at 756 hectares. Firefighters are patrolling and monitoring this fire.
WEATHER | The forecast for today is as follows, a temperature of 19 degrees, a relative humidity of 50 percent with winds northwest 20-25 km/h gusting 35 km/h..
Fire HWF058 within the Long Lake Complex is classified as out of control (OC) with a last recorded size of 18,719 hectares. June 13, 2023.
THE LONG LAKE COMPLEX | HWF036, HWF058 | JUNE 14, 2023 AS OF 12:00 PM
Fires HWF036, HWF058, HWF064 and HBZ001 are being managed by the Incident Management Team (IMT) on the Long Lake fire and it is now called The Long Lake Complex.
HWF036 | This fire was detected on May 3, 2023. This fire is classified as Out of Control (OC) with a last recorded size of 156,663 hectares.
Increased fire activity yesterday north of Baseline Road, however ground crews and aerial bombing were on top of it quickly. Vegetation inside the fire perimeter continues to burn. Heavy equipment has been strengthening guards along Baseline road, north to Harvest road
The fire is still active on the western and northern border along the Hay River, moving towards the British Columbia border. Crews are monitoring the fire by air
Thick smoke has increased over the past 2 days and aircraft operations have been limited due to visibility. As the smoke lifts this afternoon fire activity will increase.
The northeast guard protecting the community of Chateh continues to hold with limited activity fire along this edge. Firefighters continue to monitor and strengthen containment lines
Please be aware that there is still active fire burning in the area. Residents are reminded not to enter the fire area due to large number of firefighters, and equipment working. Burnt trees continue to fall which are dangerous.
HWF058 | This fire was detected on June 4, 2023. This fire is located approximately 80 km southwest of the Town of High Level and approximately 20 km northwest of the of Paddle Prairie Metis Settlement boundary marker, where the Haig River meets the Chinchaga River. This fire is classified as out of control (OC) with a last recorded size of 18,719 hectares.
Equipment and dozers have been activated to access the fire from the north and south. The fire has been active with growth reported to the east and southeast. Yesterday morning the fire area was very smoky however crews are able to safely access the southeast side and worked to establish control lines with the support of aircraft. In the afternoon conditions changed so crews and aircraft were pulled back for safety reasons. A base camp for crews has been established at Keg River Camp, southwest of Paddle Prairie.
HWF064 | This fire was detected June 9, 2023. This fire is classified as out of control (OC) with a last recorded size of 4,650 hectares. The fire is located 10km north west of Zama City.
Yesterday the fire was very active on the southern and eastern flanks. Fire activity was observed burning back onto itself yesterday and moving in a northerly direction away from Zama City. Aerial water bombing had to be stopped due to the increased fire activity. Today aircraft will be working on hotspots in priority areas as visibility allows.
Heavy equipment has been deployed and will continue to work today on brushing up dozer guards around the community. Crews will be deployed to the area and will be based at the Noralta in Zama City.
There are 260 personnel, 11 aircraft and 18 heavy equipment working across this complex of fires. An additional 100 firefighters from South America are arriving to support the complex later this week. Incident Management Teams from Canada, and Australia and a large number of helicopters are currently working at the Incident Command Post located at the Town of Rainbow Lake airport to support these fires.
The Incident Management Team (IMT) continues to work closely with effected communities, First Nations and industry stakeholders.
There are three fires burning along the BC and Alberta border. They are in remote country with no community and are being monitored by air. The Long Lake Fire complex incident management team are in daily contact with the BC Wildfire Service. For more information on these fires please go BC Wildfire Service (gov.bc.ca)
Evacuation Information and Alerts
Mackenzie County has issued an evacuation notice for the community of Zama City. For more information and updates please visit the Mackenzie County Facebook page.
Weather Forecast | Long Lake Complex
The forecast for today is as follows, a temperature of 20 degrees, a relative humidity of 35 percent with winds, northwest 15 - 30 km/h.
Firefighters working on the Paskwa fire have a safety briefing each morning before heading out to the fireline. June 14, 2023.
THE PASKWA FIRE | HWF030 | JUNE 14, 2023 AS OF 12:00 PM
The Paskwa Fire is classified as Out of Control (OC) at 96,582 hectares. The top priorities for managing the Paskwa Fire are full extinguishment of fire in Fox Lake, protecting Garden River, and working toward securing the fire perimeter to prevent significant fire spread.
Smoke is still lingering in the community of Fox Lake and ground crews are still working in the community actioning smokes with bucketing operations. Today, crews will be working to extinguish hotspots and remove danger trees along Prairie Road, Laboucan Road and other priority areas around the community as they work in stages. These crews will be moved to action any flare-ups that will take priority.
Work near 5th Meridian has been completed as much as possible but will continue to be monitored if anything changes. The crews that were working in the 5th Meridian will be assessing new work in Fox Lake as they get their new assignments to begin work in the community. The area of 5th Meridian is still a priority area to watch for and prevent fire spread north across the Peace River and to protect the community of Garden River.
Helicopters will continue bucketing along the southeast perimeter when smoky conditions allow. Today, ground crews will continue with fire suppression in the area. There was some movement on the southeast corner, but it is being managed by helicopter bucketing and has spread into the edge of Ruis Lake.
Firefighters will work to extinguish hotspots from Little Red River moving to Muskeg Creek enforcing the perimeter.
Work continues in Fox Lake to extinguish 75m (250 ft) perimeters around structures and the removal of danger trees. Heavy equipment is working around larger hotspot areas where there is still potential for fire spread to contain the fire while crews work to extinguish these hotspots.
The high-volume water system, water lines, and sprinkler systems on structures are in place in the community of Garden River and structural firefighters will be available as needed. These are proactive measures to ensure the community is prepared should the fires move closer to Garden River.
There are currently 140 personnel supporting the Paskwa Fire response consisting of wildland and structural firefighters, incident management staff, and Paskwa Fire Base support staff. There are also 12 helicopters and 19 pieces of heavy equipment dedicated to the Paskwa fire.
Evacuation Information and Alerts
Little Red River Cree Nation has an evacuation order in place for the community of Fox Lake. The community of Garden River remains on an evacuation alert. For information regarding the evacuation, please stay informed by visiting the Little Red River Cree Nation’s Facebook page.
The community of Garden River is under an evacuation alert.
Weather Forecast | Paskwa Fire
Today, the forecast is as follows a temperature of 20 degrees, a relative humidity of 40 percent and winds, north 15 km/h gusting up to 35 km/h. The higher humiditiy will keep moisture in the air and aid in wildfire suppression efforts. Smoky conditions and moisture will lower the wildfire intensity today.
Wood Buffalo National Park Fire Update| Davidson Complex | June 14, 2023
The fires in the Davidson Lake area have a last recorded size of 49,864 hectares combined and is located 22.5 km northeast of Garden River. Yesterday, little growth was observed on Fire 14 – it grew approximately 400 metres to the west.
Wood Buffalo National Park has been in contact with Little Red River Cree Nation and provides updates throughout the day. Fire specialists will continue monitoring fire behaviour and weather conditions, which will ensure a timely recommendation for evacuation of Garden River, if needed.
Weather forecasts have been uncertain about precipitation amounts, but some areas of the park may see rain today, including the eastern edge of these fires. Depending on the levels of precipitation the fire may see today, fire specialists are looking at several options to continue limiting the fire, including dozer guards close to the fire’s edge (tightlining) and ignition opportunities with retardant drops to try to hold the fire’s southwestern edge.
Dozers continued clearing lines along the old Fort Smith highway yesterday to gain better access to the southwestern side of the fire and continue building fuel breaks as required. Improved access to this area will potentially help in the future if direct suppression efforts by crews are possible.
Crews again checked on cabins and infrastructure at risk yesterday and confirmed known values have yet to be impacted by fires in the area – the crews also added structure protection on two more cabins and maintained pre-existing sprinkler systems on other values in the area. They’ll continue to maintain structure protection today.
This information has been provided by the Wood Buffalo National Park, Fire Information Officer. For more information regarding fires burning within the Wood Buffalo National Park, please click here.
DO NOT FLY DRONES NEAR WILDFIRES!
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 Alberta firefighters the space they need to do their jobs safely. *Transport Canada
WILDFIRE INFORMATION
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, please check albertafirebans.ca to determine whether 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.
WILDFIRE LINKS AND TOOLS
Volunteers, equipment owners/operators or firefighters looking to assist with these wildfires or any of the wildfires within the province can contact EmergencySupportOffers@gov.ab.ca.
There are multiple EVACUATION ORDERS & ALERTS in the Province. Please visit Alberta Emergency Alerts or your community webpage for more information.
For road closure information, please visit: 511.alberta.ca
Wildfire smoke is a tool used for the location of smoke firesmoke.ca
To see all the wildfires burning in Alberta click here.
WILDFIRE PREPARDNESS | Learn how you can prepare yourself for a wildfire by clicking here.
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Victoria Ostendorf
Wildfire Information Officer
High Level Forest Area
Mobile: 780-841-9387
Email: victoria.ostendorf@gov.ab.ca