WILDFIRE DANGER
The wildfire danger is extreme in the High Level Forest Area.
We ask Albertans to be extremely cautious if they are spending time in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta. The hot and dry weather continues to increase the wildfire danger. In these conditions, a wildfire will ignite easily and spread quickly.
Alberta Wildfire uses a variety of tools to identify areas with a high wildfire danger, and strategically places resources where they are needed most to efficiently respond to new wildfires as they occur.
The Paskwa fire (HWF030). May 19, 2023.
HIGH LEVEL FOREST AREA WILDFIRE UPDATE| MAY 20, 2023 AS OF 10:30 AM
There are five wildfires in the High Level Forest Area. Of these fires, two are classified as Out of Control (OC) and three are Under Control (UC). To see a map of the wildfires in the High Level Forest Area and across the province please click here.
Firefighters, aircraft, and heavy equipment have been working in conjunction with communities, county and municipal firefighting services as aggressively as possible to make progress on wildfires in the High Level Forest Area. Despite all of this hard work, there remains uncontained wildfire perimeter and fire behavior forecasts indicate that there will be continued growth on the wildfires throughout the region.
THE LONG LAKE FIRE | HWF036 | MAY 20, 2023 AS OF 10:30 AM
This fire is located in the vicinity of the Town of Rainbow Lake. This wildfire is classified as out of control (OC) with a last recorded size of 119,164 hectares. This wildfire remains approximately 13 km from the community of Chateh. Yesterday evening firefighters, heavy equipment and a planned ignition operation successfully reinforced the existing fire guard east of the fire, west of the community of Chateh.
Firefighters' top priority is the safety of the Town of Rainbow Lake, the community of Chateh, and oil and gas and energy infrastructure. Wildland firefighter crews and wildland urban interface crews continue to ensure the protection of the structures within the Town of Rainbow Lake and the community of Chateh. Firefighters continue to action hotspots around the Town of Rainbow Lake and ensure all hotspots are fully extinguished.
The Incident Management Team (IMT) is providing the continued support for restoration of critical infrastructure and communications systems in the Town of Rainbow Lake. Damage was done to powerlines, resulting in a lack of power within the Town of Rainbow Lake, community of Chateh and the hamlet of Zama City. In addition, there are road closures in the area. Please visit 511 for the most updated travel information.
There are 128 firefighters, 10 helicopters and heavy equipment working on the Long Lake Fire. Structural protection crews will continue protecting structures within the area as the wildfire situation evolves. These crews continue to patrol the Town of Rainbow Lake, throughout the day and night to spot any hotspots and excursions within the town.
The Town of Rainbow Lake has an evacuation order in place.
Dene Tha First Nation has an evacuation order in place for the community of Chateh.
Please stay informed by downloading the Alberta Emergency Alert mobile app or by visiting their website.
Weather Forecast | Long Lake Fire (HWF036)
Today the forecast is as follows: a temperature of 23 degrees, a relative humidity of 30 percent with east winds 10 km/h.
THE PASKWA FIRE | HWF030 | MAY 20, 2023 AS OF 10:30 AM
The Paskwa fire is located in the community of Fox Lake and was detected on May 2, 2023. This fire is classified as Out of Control (OC) and the last recorded size is 70,247 hectares. The fire is 1 km inside the Wood Buffalo National Park boundary and is approximately 8 km from the community of Garden River.
Today, crews will continue work to secure the northeast perimeter of the fire, working along the retardant line on the flank closest to the community of Garden River. Work is also planned to help secure the fire along the Oxbow on the Peace River moving south.
Work continues in the community of Fox Lake to create safe conditions to allow for re-entry, beginning with temporary access and escorted community visits. The Incident Management Team is working closely with the Little Red River Cree Nation to develop a timeline for when these visits may be able to occur. Access to the Little Red River cultural heritage site will also be facilitated once escorted visits to the community begin.
Crews will continue to assess and remove dangerous trees in the community of Fox Lake as well as continuing to create an extinguished perimeter of approximately 30 metres around every structure. This objective will take time given the number of structures in the community.
Last night a specialized drone equipped with infrared cameras continued scanning in the community of Fox Lake. The flight identified remaining hot spots in in the scanned area, which have now been mapped and provided to crews to assist with ongoing extinguishment work. A final scan is planned for tonight to complete the hot spot mapping in the community. If time permits, the drone will also scan the southwest perimeter near the Little Red River cultural heritage site. A fixed wing scan has been ordered for the entire fire area for tonight.
ATCO crews are also working in Fox Lake to restore power and repair damaged lines.
There are 87 firefighters, 10 helicopters, and heavy equipment working on the Paskwa fire. Air tanker support is available as requested.
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)
Hot and dry conditions continue with no significant rain in the forecast. Today the forecast is as follows: a temperature of 24 degrees and a relative humidity of 30 percent. Easterly winds will continue throughout the day at 10 – 15 km/h.
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.
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
ALBERTA STATE OF EMERGENCY
A provincial state of emergency has been declared. Albertans who require assistance can call 310-4455 for wildfire related information.
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
The NASA FIRMS Fire Information website is a great resource to give an idea of the location of wildfires in the area, but it should be noted that this data is based on interpolation and often can make a wildfire appear larger than it actually is.
Wildfire smoke is a tool used for the location of smoke firesmoke.ca
To see all the wildfires burning in Alberta click here.
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Victoria Ostendorf
Wildfire Information Officer
High Level Forest Area
Mobile: 780-841-9387
Email: victoria.ostendorf@gov.ab.ca
James Eastham (Paskwa Fire HWF-030)
Wildfire Information Officer
Email: james.eastham@pc.gc.ca
Mobile: 403-497-4839