The Fire Ban and OHV Restriction has been lifted in the High Level Forest Area and a Fire Restriction is in place. Please ensure you are being safe when having a campfire. Never leave a campfire unattended, have a bucket of water next to your fire and always extinguish your fire by soaking it, stirring it and soaking it again with lots of water. Permits are also still suspended and no new permits will be written. Thank you and have a safe weekend.
FIRE RESTRICTION IN EFFECT | AS OF JUNE 22, 2023
A fire restriction is in effect for the High Level, Peace River and Fort McMurray Forest Areas, as well as the northern part of the Grande Prairie Forest Area.
Under this advisory:
- 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:
- All outdoor wood fires are banned on public lands, including backcountry and random camping areas.
- The use of fireworks and exploding targets is also prohibited.
Allowed:
- Safe wood campfires on private lands and in provincial campgrounds.
- Backyard fire pits, charcoal briquette barbeques.
- Propane/ natural gas-powered appliances.
- Indoor wood fires contained within a device with a chimney and spark arrestor.
- Cooking, warming and lighting devices – all devices must be CSA approved and used as per manufacturer’s standards.
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 10 wildfires in the High Level Forest Area. Of these fires, four are classified as out of control (OC), one is being held (BH) and five are under control (UC). Please see the updates below regarding information on 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;
THE BEACH ROAD FIRE | HWF064 | This fire was detected June 9th, 2023. This fire is classified as out of control (OC) with a last recorded size of 4,729 hectares. This fire is being managed by the High level Forest Area and there is an Incident Management Team in place.
The fire is located approximately 10km northwest of Zama City. With the return in hot and windy conditions there has been an increase in fire activity. The most active areas yesterday were on the northwest and northeast sides as the winds shifted. Alberta Wildfire and Mackenzie County continue to work together and monitor the situation closely.
Heavy equipment continues to create guards around the community. Structure protection units are in place in the community and are ready if needed. In addition, crews, heavy equipment and aircraft continue their work on the east and south sides of the fire to prevent spread towards the community. Crews are also working with industry partners to protect critical infrastructure.
There are 66 wildland and structural firefighters, 7 helicopters, support staff and heavy equipment working on this fire.
WEATHER
The weather forecast for today is as follows, a temperature of 27 degrees, a relative humidity of 30 percent and winds south 10-15 km/h.
THE LONG LAKE COMPLEX | HWF036, HWF058 | JUNE 23, 2023 AS OF 12:00 PM
HWF036 | This fire was detected on May 3, 2023. This fire is classified as out of control (OC) with a last recorded size of 165,400 hectares. Firefighters, aircraft and heavy equipment have made great progress, therefore, 45 percent of the fire line is contained and being held.
Todays warmer weather will bring a return in more fire activity within the perimeter of the fire. An aerial scan that was done yesterday and has identified hot spots within the fire perimeter that firefighters will focus on today.
The fire is still active on the western and northern border, moving towards the British Columbia border. Crews are burning out this area and working with dozers.
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. Vegetation inside the fire perimeter continues to burn and firefighters continue to black out and mop up hot spots as they arise.
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 is located approximately 80 km southwest of the Town of High Level and approximately 17 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 an estimated size of 21,356 hectares.
Late yesterday afternoon there was an increase in activity on the South west corner of the fire however the fires perimeter did not increase.
Firefighters expect to see increased activity today however the fire will not see any large runs. Hot spots were bombed by air and further retardant may be dropped on the Eastern side of the fire to prevent further spreading today
Crews are flying into the fire line daily as access is challenging. Dozers continue to work on the western edge of the fire along the power easement and the south west corner. Crews are also burning out the section in between the dozer guard and the edge of the fire.
The IMT continues to work closely with locals on understanding the local environment and getting access to the fire ground. A base camp for crews has been established at Keg River Camp, southwest of Paddle Prairie.
There are currently 313 personnel, 18 aircraft and heavy equipment working across this complex of fires. The Incident Management Team continues to work closely with effected communities, First Nations and industry stakeholders.
BC have also observed increased activity with their three fires on the border. They are in remote country with no community and are being monitored by air. The Long Lake Fire complex Incident Management Team is in daily contact with the BC Wildfire Service. For more information on these fires please go BC Wildfire Service (gov.bc.ca)
Weather Forecast | Long Lake Complex
The forecast for today is as follows, a temperature of 28 degrees, a relative humidity of 30 percent with winds southeast 10km.
Heavy equipment is cleaning up danger trees by burning off piles in Fox Lake. June 23, 2023.
THE PASKWA FIRE | HWF030 | JUNE 23, 2023 AS OF 12:00 PM
The Paskwa fire was detected on May 2, 2023. It extends along the south side of the Peace River from the community of Fox Lake into Wood Buffalo National Park and is approximately 8 km south of the community of Garden River. The wildfire is estimated at 96,582 hectares and this fire is classified as out of control (OC). 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.
Today, heavy smoke is lingering in the community of Fox Lake and ground crews are still working in the community actioning smokes with hand tools and water. Crews will continue to remove danger trees within the community as they’re spotted. These crews will be moved to action any surface fire if it arises in other areas of Fox Lake.
There are light-medium smokes surfacing in Fox Lake from within the burned-out fire perimeter as crews pile and burn off debris. This is a controlled and monitored practise to get rid of unwanted downed trees that have been piled to burn off and clean-up the wildfire zone. These burning piles are burning on bare mineral soil and are located away from any structures in town.
Crews have moved to the roadways to extinguish hotspots 250 ft outwards. Heavy equipment is working around larger hotspot areas where there is still potential for fire spread when conditions are right.
The high-volume water system, water lines, and sprinkler systems on structures are still 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. These systems are tested every morning for effecency in the equipment.
Parks Canada and Alberta Wildfire have come together in Unified Command, allowing these two agencies to work together closely and share resources to protect the community of Garden River for the Davidson wildfire.
Many aerial scans have been completed over the course of this wildfire event and will be ongoing. The information we receive from the data gives the operations team a better plan of action as to where the deep burning hotspots in the area.
There are 101 personnel supporting the Paskwa/Davidson 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/Davidson fire.
Evacuation Alerts and Information
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.
Weather Forecast | Paskwa Fire (HWF030)
Today, a daytime temperature of 27 degrees with winds out of the southwest at 10-15 km/h shifting to the northeast at 15-20 km/h in the afternoon. Relative humidity will be 40 percent. Due to the higher temperatures, we can expect to see an increase in fire behavior in the afternoon. Bucketing operations will be utilized heavy today as we prepare for potential flare-ups.
Davidson Lake fire (Wildfires 8, 9, 11, 13, 14) – Wood Buffalo National Park – June 21
After a combination of aerial assessment and satellite data, the fire size for the Davidson Lake Fires is currently estimated to be 104,879 hectares. This estimate includes Fires 8, 9, 11, 13 and 14, as all fires are being reported as one complex.
It was a much quieter day on the Davidson Lake Fires yesterday. Cooler temperatures, higher relative humidity, cloud cover and even a few scattered showers helped to keep fire behaviour down in most areas of the fire throughout the day. Helicopter bucketing continued, as required, and crews took advantage of the conditions to action new hotspots and further secure the perimeter. This work will continue today.
The dozer group on the western flank continues to push north, with the goal of tying the dozer line in to Trident Creek and burned out areas to the north. Today, the dozers will work in time with ground crews to do a combination of direct suppression along the perimeter while also continuing to tie the dozer guard into the creek, to keep the fire on the east side of Trident Creek. The team has brought in additional Nodwells so that firefighters can extinguish hotspots along the dozer guard with pumps and hose.
Crews are continuing to check on cabins in the vicinity of the fire and have been running sprinklers to keep the areas around them wetted down.
The community guard, north of Garden River is now complete. Yesterday, crews began widening the guard from 30 meters to 100 meters wide and have approximately 1.4km left to complete today. Once this is finished, an additional guard will be put in south of Highway 58 towards the Peace River at the request of Little Red River Cree Nation. This additional guard will ensure that the community of Garden River is protected from all directions and limit the threat from future fires in the area.
The update above has been provided by the Parks Canada Information Officer working on the Davidson Lake fire. 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.
.png?width=1200&name=wildfire%20app%20(2).png)
Victoria Ostendorf
Wildfire Information Officer
High Level Forest Area
Mobile: 780-841-9387
Email: victoria.ostendorf@gov.ab.ca