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 four wildfires burning in the Rocky Mountain House Forest Area. Two of these wildfires are OUT OF CONTROL, one is classified as BEING HELD and one is UNDER CONTROL. Since January 1, 2023 there have been 45 wildfires in the Rocky Mountain House Forest Area, burning a total of 98,241.29 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 are 76 firefighters and support staff being shared between this fire and EWF039. There are 23 pieces of heavy equipment, and seven helicopters assigned to the complex. An airtanker group is available to respond if necessary.

With the gusting westerly winds yesterday afternoon, increased fire behaviour was observed on the eastern side just west of Dora’s Corner. Heavy equipment is working to build secondary containment line around this excursion. Approximately 12 kilometers of containment line along Minnow Lake Road has been completed. Yesterday, significant growth occurred east of the Repsol Road, burning south towards fire RWF-034. The growth primarily moved in the southwest direction. Today, containment lines will continue south from Dora’s Corner, on the east side of the fire. 

Today, the ignitions team is assessing opportunities to use aerial ignition operations. This operation will remove unburned fuel between the fire and existing roads and containment lines improving access and egress routes for personnel and future 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 are 49 firefighters and support staff working on this fire. There are five helicopters assigned to the fire and four additional helicopters assigned to the complex. In addition, there are 23 pieces of heavy equipment.

Yesterday, crews successfully tied the containment line into the Brazeau Reservoir. With the intense winds coming from the north yesterday, the southern containment line near the O’Chiese Reserve was held. The southwest side of the fire, closest to where the Brazeau River and Blackstone River meet was active yesterday.

RWF040 is located 6 km northeast of the Forestry Trunk Road and Brown Creek Provincial Recreational Area and is classified as out of control. The fire is being monitored by firefighters and support staff assigned to the complex and are able to respond if necessary. The fire is currently estimated to be 2,836 ha in size.  Growth has occurred mostly to the west. The Blackstone Lookout Tower in the area is currently not at risk. 

A weak low develops over the Rockies today, producing scattered showers and a slight risk of thunder cells in the area.  Variable winds will arrive on Sunday as a low passes near the complex. Gusty westerly winds shift to northwesterly winds and will develop early Monday bringing significant cooling. This cooling trend will continue through to Tuesday morning.

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 Wildfire 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 495 wildfires burning a total of 845,975.4 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.