Rocky Mountain House Area Update

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

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 six wildfires burning in the Rocky Mountain House Forest Area. Two of these wildfires are OUT OF CONTROL and four are classified as UNDER CONTROL. Since January 1, 2023 there have been 45 wildfires in the Rocky Mountain House Forest Area, burning a total of 98,240.59 hectares (ha).

ACTIVE WILDFIRES

RCU005 - Thanks to the hard work of the County, Alberta Wildfire and the Canadian Armed Forced. As of May 17 2023, 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. Containment line is established on the northwest tip of the fire.

There has been no significant growth on the north and east sides of the fire. Some growth has occurred on the west side in the southwest direction resembling fingers. A finger is defined as an elongated burned area projecting from the main body of the fire resulting in an irregular fire perimeter.

The aerial ignition opportunity around Minnow Lake was not conducted today. Personnel observing the area were working with ignition specialists to plan future operations. Aerial ignition operations will only occur if favourable conditions are available. Ground crews continued to conduct small scale ground ignitions to clean up previous ignition operations along containment lines. The purpose of these ignitions is to remove remaining fuel in between the fire perimeter and containment lines in a controlled manner.

In the northwest, from Repsol Road to the Trans Canada Pipeline, crews were demobilizing line today. Heavy equipment completed the containment line from Wolf Creek to Minnow Lake East Road and Delmar Road south towards Dora’s Corner. Today, operations continued around Minnow Lake where containment line was built when conditions permitted heavy equipment operations. 

RWF034 is located near the O'Chiese Reserve and classified as out of control. The fire is currently estimated at 67,042 ha in size. There were 57 firefighters and support staff working on this fire. There were three helicopters assigned to the fire and three additional helicopters assigned to the complex. In addition, there were 23 pieces of heavy equipment.

The eastern portion of the south side of this fire saw some growth over the last two days.  In cutblocks adjacent to the reservoir, surface fires, crown fires, and long range spotting were observed. The north side of the fire (near the Brazeau Dam Reservoir) experienced less severe fire behavior.

Crews were working on the south side with hose on established containment line to remove any hotspots in the area. The priority for this fire continues to be on the south side, on established containment line. Direct attack is still being used when safe. Smoldering ground fires were observed early this morning.  Crews are working on hotspots and gridding to detect any remaining activity in this area in order to establish containment lines.

Today, smoke remained in the area and provided a smoke screen throughout the complex, allowing temperatures to be cool and relative humidities to increase. There is a chance of showers and a slight thundershower risk near the front as winds rapidly shift to the northwest behind it.

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 were 76 firefighters and support staff shared between this fire and RWF034. The fire is currently estimated to be 2,836 ha in size. The updated size is attributed to some fire growth that occurred in the south and because of more accurate mapping.

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 493 wildfires burning a total of 806,611.92 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.