With continued high temperatures in the forecast and little precipitation, the wildfire danger across the Rocky Mountain House Forest Area remains very high. Please exercise caution when recreating or working outdoors.
A fire ban remains in effect for the Rocky Mountain House Forest Area. If you see a wildfire, report it immediately by calling 310-FIRE (3473).
A fire ban remains in effect for the entire Forest Protection Area of Alberta, including the Rocky Mountain House 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.
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.
Stay up to date by visiting Alberta Fire Bans website or downloading the application onto your smartphone: Apple or Android.
Smoke Conditions
Over the next few days, parts of the Rocky Mountain House Forest Area may experience smoke in the air. FireSmoke has an interactive forecast (pictured below), which provides hourly, daily average and daily maximum concentration of smoke particles from wildfires.
For additional information, you can also check out the daily air quality index.
Rocky Mountain House Forest Area Wildfire Update
Since January 1, 2024, there have been 48 wildfires in the Rocky Mountain House Forest Area, which have burned 10.92 hectares.
There are no active wildfires in the Rocky Mountain House Forest Area.
Provincial Wildfire Update (as of 10:00 am July 15, 2024)
- Since January 1, there have been 788 wildfires recorded in the Forest Protection Area that have burned 269,913.3 hectares. Of these wildfires, 27 are classified as out of control, 28 are being held, 36 are under control and 694 have been extinguished.
- There are currently 95 active wildfires in the Forest Protection Area. Of these wildfires, 27 are classified as out of control, 28 are classified as being held and 40 are under control.
- There are four carryover wildfires from the 2023 season.
- There are four wildfires of note in the Forest Protection Area.
For the most up-to-date wildfire information, visit the Alberta Wildfire Status Dashboard.
Helpful Websites:
For more information, please contact:
Allanah McLean
Area Information Coordinator
Cell: (403)-418-5023
allanah.mclean@gov.ab.ca