Rocky Mountain House Area Update

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

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 52 wildfires in the Rocky Mountain House Forest Area, burning a total of 115,756.41 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 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 - EWF031/039, RWF034/040

Today, there were 132 firefighters and IMT support staff being shared between all fires on the Complex. There were 42 pieces of heavy equipment, and 13 helicopters assigned to the complex. An airtanker group was still available to respond if necessary. The 20-person Yukon team departed today and a new incoming 8-person crew arrived. The total size of the complex is 210,769.

Today, weather conditions improved allowing suppression activities to resume. Expect minimal fire behavior in the areas that received wetting rains. Smoldering and creeping fire spread under closed canopy timber stands is likely as the relative humidity drops to near 40%. Grass fuels with visible dead thatch in cut blocks and road/powerline right of ways will have potential for low fire spread in the afternoon. Some areas in the fire area may not have received much precipitation so those areas may have a bit more fire activity than forecasted. The trend is for slow warming and drying through Saturday.

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 119,806 ha in size.  Increased size is attributed to growth that has been observed over the last couple of days and due to more accurate mapping. 

There is a containment line on the north side of the fire working downwards towards 6 Mile Road as well as a containment line located south from Dora’s Corner (completed three days ago). Both lines will have continued air support as visibility allows, and it is safe for aviation resources to operate to perform bucketing.

EWF039 located near Carrot Creek, is currently being held. The fire is currently estimated to be 165 ha. The fire is fully wrapped in containment line and is a kilometer away from the Carrot Creek lookout tower. Crews have successfully left the area and have been repositioned on fire EWF031. Personnel are continuing to monitor the area available to respond if necessary.

RWF034 is located near the O'Chiese Reserve and classified as out of control. The fire is currently estimated at 86,071 ha in size. The increased size is attributed to growth that has been observed over the last couple of days and due to more accurate mapping. 

RWF034 and RWF040 have connected and will be managed as one fire although they will be tracked individually for the time being.

RWF040 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 4,727 ha in size.  The increased size is attributed to growth that has been observed over the last couple of days and due to more accurate mapping. Growth has occurred mostly to the west. The Blackstone Lookout Tower in the area is currently not at risk. 

By: Kent Romney, Pembina Complex.

If you have any questions or concerns about the PEMBINA COMPLEX please call the Area Wildfire Information Officer:  Caroline Charbonneau at 780-740-1341

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 521 wildfires burning a total of 1,018,687.3 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.