Lac La Biche Forest Area Wildfire Update

Visit AB 511 for up-to-date information on road closures in the forest area.

A fire ban remains in effect for the Lac La Biche Forest Area.

If you see smoke or flame in the forest area please call 310-FIRE (3473) to report it.

LAC LA BICHE WILDFIRE UPDATE

The wildfire danger in the Lac La Biche forest area is now MODERATE.

Since January 1, 2024, there have been 176 wildfires in the Lac La Biche Forest Area burning a total of 20,487 hectares (ha). There are currently 21 active wildfires in the Lac La Biche Forest Area. Of those, nine are out of control, six are being held and six are under control.

In the past 48 hours Alberta wildfire has been able to extinguished seven fires in the Lac La Biche Forest Area. These include LWF-121, 129, 141, 143, 153, 158, 161 and 167.

To view active wildfires on a map, visit Alberta Wildfire Status.

Kettle River Complex (LCX001) | LWF136, LWF164 and LWF152

The Kettle River Complex (LCX001) includes 17 wildfires: LWF101, LWF123, LWF126, LWF136, LWF139, LWF140, LWF141, LWF142, LWF143, LWF152, LWF155, LWF156, LWF159, LWF162, LWF164, LWF168 and LWF175. An Ontario Incident Management Team (IMT) is now committed to managing personnel and resources assigned to the Kettle River Complex of wildfires.

Intermediate helicopters prepare for an afternoon bucketing mission at the Surmont Airstrip.

Control status changes occurred on seven Kettle River Complex fires on the evening of July 27:

LWF101 – 8.3 ha - EXTINGUISHED
LWF140 – 0.5 ha - EXTINGUISHED
LWF142 – 0.1 ha - EXTINGUISHED
LWF136 - 765 ha - Being Held
LFW139 – 0.1 ha – Under Control
LFW143 – 0.4 ha – Under Control
LFW155 – 0.2 ha – Under Control
LFW162 - 0.1 ha - Under Control

The Incident Management Team is preparing to support a significant influx of firefighting personnel over the next two days. 40 wildland firefighters from Quebec will arrive in the complex on Monday with an additional 100-person international contingent expected on Tuesday.

Firefighting crews, heavy equipment and aircraft are taking advantage of low fire behaviour, making progress on fire suppression goals on fires of note.

LWF152 -The status of this 474 ha wildfire is OUT OF CONTROL, and it is located approximately 22km northeast of Conklin and 10km southeast of Highway 881. Operations staff will assess hotspot areas for bucket-equipped helicopters and prepare to place firefighting crews on the southwestern and northeastern parts of the fire in the coming days.

lwf152

This wildfire is in close proximity (10 km radius) to industrial facilities. This wildfire is being monitored for growth and fire activity.

LWF159 – The status of this wildfire is OUT OF CONTROL, and it is located in Dillon River Wildland Provincial Park about 12km east of Winefred Lake No. 194B. This wildfire is approximately 4,432 ha.

LWF164 – The status of this wildfire is OUT OF CONTROL, and it is located approximately 12km northeast of Conklin and south of Highway 881. This is approximately 1,400 ha.

LWF164

With operations on the west side of Hwy. 881 complete, firefighters are now establishing hoseline on the perimeter of the fire’s northeast ‘finger’. Heavy equipment will continue to establish a dozer guard along the west side of Hwy. 881 and along the northeast corner and southeast perimeter.

LWF175 – The status of the wildfire is OUT OF CONTROL. This fire is approximately 125 ha in size and located in Dillon River Wildland Provincial Park, approximately 12 kilometres east of Winefred Lake. Crews flew over the fire area on July 26, to monitor for growth and fire activity.

There are currently nine wildfires burning out of control in the Lac La Biche Forest Area. View other active wildfires, their locations and stats on the interactive map on our Wildfire Status page.

LWF165 - This wildfire was detected July 17. It is located 20 km south of Crow Lake. This fire is now being managed by the Algar Lake Complex (since July 23). It is classified as BEING HELD and is currently estimated at 1,451 ha.

LWF169 - This wildfire was detected on July 21. It is classified as OUT OF CONTROL at 217 ha. This fire is located 6 km east of industry facility. We have had some bucketing suppression, however, visibility is limited. There has been minimal growth on this fire today.

LWF154 - This wildfire was detected July 16. It is classified as OUT OF CONTROL at 1,290 ha. This wildfire is located within the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range.

LWF147 - This wildfire was detected July 16. It is classified as OUT OF CONTROL at 6,569 ha. The fire is located approximately 16 km northeast of Heart Lake in the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range. This fire is under investigation.

Fire Ban banner

A fire ban is in effect as of July 10 in the entire Forest Protection Area of Alberta, including the Lac La Biche 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.

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DRONES are not allowed to be flown within five nautical miles (or 9.3 kilometers) of a wildfire.

If you fly a drone within this distance of a wildfire, it immediately halts firefighting operations because it is not safe to be flying with drones in the air. The penalty for interfering with wildfire control operations can land you a court appearance, go to the Government of Alberta website.
For more information from Transport Canada about drones near wildfires, visit Transport Canada's website.

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FIRESMART

Your actions today can minimize wildfire damage to your home and property tomorrow. Visit FireSmart Alberta to learn how taking proactive FireSmart measures around your house and yard can increase your property's resistance to wildfire.

Download the Farm and Acreage Guide to Reducing the Risk From Wildfire for additional information.

WILDFIRE INFORMATION

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Download the AB Wildfire Status app, and select the "i" at the bottom to see the most recent update. Sign up to be notified when a new update is published.

Visit Alberta Wildfire for more information on the current wildfire situation.

Visit Alberta Fire Bans to see if there are any fire advisories, fire restrictions or fire bans in effect in your area.

For more information, please contact:

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