Rocky Mountain House Area Update

The wildfire danger in the Rocky Mountain House Forest Area is now Very High. 

Report smoke or fire in the forest by calling 310-FIRE (3473). 

A FIRE BAN and OFF-HIGHWAY VEHICLE RESTRICTION remain in effect for the entire Forest Protection Area of Alberta, including the Rocky Mountain House Forest Area

• All existing fire permits are suspended (or cancelled)
• No new fire permits will be issued

• 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

• 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. 

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOUSE FOREST AREA UPDATE

There are currently four wildfires burning in the Rocky Mountain House Forest Area. Two of these wildfires are OUT OF CONTROL and two are classified as under control. Since January 1, 2023 there have been 43 wildfires in the Rocky Mountain House Forest Area, burning a total of 97,571.94 hectares (ha).

ACTIVE WILDFIRES

RCU005 - Thanks to the hard work of the County and Alberta Wildfire under the Mutual aid Agreement and the help of the Canadian Armed Forced we have now classified RCU005 as "being held"

Alberta Wildfire continues to support RCU005 with resources and given the current weather conditions the wildfire is not anticipated to grow past expected boundaries.

PEMBINA WILDFIRE COMPLEX - includes EWF031/039, RWF034/040

EWF031 was detected on May 4 and is located 25 km west of Lodgepole, 20 km northwest of Brazeau Dam and 14 km southeast of Edson. The fire is classified as out of control and is estimated to be 82,666 ha in size. No significant growth has been observed since May 7, 2023.

There are 81 firefighters and support staff being shared between this fire and EWF039.  There are 32 pieces of heavy equipment, and eight helicopters assigned to the complex. An airtanker group was available yesterday, but due to poor visibility no action occurred. 

Yesterday, the hotshot crew successfully completed a small scale ground ignition on the far western tip of the south side of the fire. Ground crews will be conducting small scale ground ignitions on that side of the fire again at 1200 today. The purpose of this burn is to remove remaining fuel in between the fire perimeter and the planned containment lines in a controlled manner.

Last night, a high altitude infrared scan was completed to more accurately map the perimeter.

Winds blowing out of the northwest are expected to bring extreme fire behavior to the southern side of the fire. Weather conditions on the complex remain hot and dry. A cold front will shift the winds from the south-southeast to north-northwest.

Cooler temperatures arrive Tuesday, but extreme fire behavior will persist.

RWF034 Crews are utilizing direct attack along the south flank on established containment line. In addition mop up and hot spotting is occurring near and within the O’Chiese Reserve. On the north flank, crews are hotspotting and gridding to detect any remaining activity in this area in order to establish containment lines.

RWF040 is located 6 km northeast of the Forestry Trunk Road and Brown Creek Provincial Recreational Area and is classified as out of control. There are 76 firefighters and support staff shared between this fire and RWF034. The fire is currently estimated to be 2,200 ha in size.

These fires are part of the Pembina Complex, for more information on all the wildfires in the complex please refer to the Edson Forest Area page.

Lightning through the area has been causing many fire starts. Lightning can cause wildfire, which can smoulder on the ground for a few days before becoming active and visible. This is called a "holdover" fire. Alberta Forestry, parks and tourism follows weather forecasts and also tracks each lightning strike using a tracking system. This allows them to pinpoint where there are areas that have been heavily impacted by lightning. They then send out firefighters to patrol these areas.

PROVINCIAL WILDFIRE UPDATE 

Since January 1, 2023 in the Forest Protection Area, there have been 470 wildfires burning a total of 604,965.41 ha.

WILDFIRE DASHBOARD

The wildfire dashboard provides up-to-date wildfire information at the click of a button. This interactive tool displays important statistics on the number of active wildfires in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta, sizes, locations, suspected causes and more.

The dashboard builds on the former wildfire status map by displaying the most frequently accessed information in one convenient location.

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.