Rocky Mountain House Area Update

The wildfire danger is moderate across the Rocky Mountain House Forest Area. This change in fire danger is due to recent precipitation that is expected to continue into the weekend. Warmer temperatures are expected to return next week. 

A fire ban remains in effect for the entire Rocky Mountain House Forest Area. 

If you see smoke or flame and suspect that it is a new wildfire, please call 310-FIRE (3473). 9-1-1 calls are for immediate emergency calls.

RCX001 - Kiska Complex

Wildfires RWF-064, RWF-063 and RWF-062 are part of the Kiska Complex. RWF-064 remains classified as out of control, and RWF-063 and RWF-062 are classified as being held.

There are 48 personnel working on this complex, including 32 firefighters. There are two helicopters and 12 pieces of heavy equipment assigned to the complex to support suppression efforts. An incident management team is overseeing operations. 

RWF-064 - 360 ha

It is located:

• 4 km west of the Forestry Trunk Road (Hwy 734).
• 17 km northwest of the Ram Falls Provincial Park.
• 30 km south of Nordegg.

RWF-062 - 1,600 ha

It is located:

• 5 km west of the Wapiabi Provincial Recreation Area (PRA).
  • Visit the Wapiapi Provincial Recreation Area web page for information on area closures.
  • View the Wapiapi / Blackstone forest area closure map here. 
• 13 km northwest of Crescent Falls PRA.
• 30 km west of Nordegg.

RWF-063 - 2,070 ha

It is located:

• 2 km east of the Jasper National Park border. 
• 17 km west of RWF-062.
• 50 km west of Nordegg.

Crews made good progress throughout the day yesterday and have returned to RWF-064 today to continue establishing a control line. This wildfire did receive some some precipitation throughout the night and the humidity and cloud cover is keeping fire behaviour low. The cause of this wildfire remains under investigation.

A high of 19 degrees with a relative humidity of 40 percent is expected today. Winds from the southwest at 25 to 30 km/h are forecasted. 

The locations of RWF-062 and RWF-063 are within the forest management plan, which identifies areas that will benefit from wildfires for forest rejuvenation. Given the location, the plan for these wildfires is to manage, continuously assess and monitor their progress and firefighters will action if required. Both of these wildfires were caused by lightning. 

Rocky Mountain House Forest Area Wildfire Update

Since January 1, 2024, there have been 65 wildfires in the Rocky Mountain House Forest Area, which have burned 4,041.26 hectares (ha). 

RWF-060 and RWF 061 both remain classified as being held. These wildfires are northwest of Nordegg. Both of these wildfires are 0.01 ha in size. These wildfires were detected on July 22, and both were caused by lightning. 

RWF-065 is now classified as extinguished. This wildfire was detected on July 25, and the cause remains under investigation. 

RWF-058 is now classified as extinguished. This wildfire was detected on July 21, and the cause remains under investigation. 

There are no immediate threats to any communities at this time. 

For the most up-to-date wildfire information, visit the Alberta Wildfire Status Dashboard.  

Visit wildfire status definitions for more information. 

Off-Highway Vehicle Safety

Off-highway vehicle (OHV) use is allowed in the Forest Protection Area. You can reduce the risk of your OHV causing a wildfire by following these simple steps:

• Before you ride, clean out hot spots and remove debris from your machine.
• After riding through muskeg or tall grass, stop and remove any build-up from your machine.
• Carry firefighting equipment such as a small shovel, collapsible pail or fire extinguisher.
• Wash your OHV and keep it clean – do not wash in streams and creeks.
• Make sure your muffler and spark arrestor are working properly.
• Stop frequently. Take the time to knock debris from your machine’s hot spots. If the debris is smouldering, soak it, stir it, and soak it again to make sure it is extinguished.

For more information, visit off-highway vehicle safety.

Wildfire Dashboard

The locations and details of all active wildfires in Alberta are available on the Alberta Wildfire Status Dashboard. This is a great resource to get the most up-to-date information and important statistics like the number of wildfires in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta, their sizes, locations and more.

You can also download the Alberta Wildfire App for Apple and Android.

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 (3473). 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.

Provincial Wildfire Update (as of 10:00 am on July 26)

• Since January 1, there have been 977 wildfires recorded in the Forest Protection Area that have burned 552,648 hectares (ha). 
  
• There are currently 173 active wildfires in the Forest Protection Area. Of these wildfires, 51 are classified as out of control, 47 are classified as being held and 75 are under control.
  
• There are three carryover wildfires from the 2023 season.

For the most up-to-date wildfire information, visit the Alberta Wildfire Status Dashboard.   

Visit fire danger to learn more about how conditions are expected to influence fire behaviour in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta.

Stay Informed: