Rocky Mountain House Area Update

Some parts of the Rocky Mountain House Forest have experienced brief and intermittent rainfall along with cooler temperatures. The wildfire danger is moderate across the Rocky Mountain House Forest Area. 

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 wildfire, please call 310-FIRE (3473). 

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 continue to make good progress on establishing a fireguard around the northeast and southeast sides of RWF-064. Today, helicopters supported with bucket operations on priority areas and airtankers dropped retardant to help reinforce the fireguard. Cooler temperatures throughout the day led to minimal fire behaviour and spread. These weather conditions will likely keep fire behaviour low for the next few days. Crews will take advantage of these conditions to make as much progress possible in suppressing the wildfire and reducing further spread. 

RWF-064 (July 26, 2024) - Fireguard progress that crews have made over the past few days.

The locations of RWF-062 and RWF-063 are within the forest management plan as areas where natural wildfires are expected to provide ecological benefits. Considering this, the plan for both of these wildfires is to manage, continuously assess and monitor their progress and firefighters will action if needed. Both of these wildfires were caused by lightning. 

RWF-062 (July 27, 2024)

Rocky Mountain House Forest Area Wildfire Update

Since January 1, 2024, there have been 66 wildfires in the Rocky Mountain House Forest Area, which have burned 4,041.76 hectares (ha). There are currently six active wildfires in the Rocky Mountain House Forest Area. 

RWF-066 is classified as out of control. This wildfire is west of the Brazeau Reservoir Provincial Recreation Area and is 0.50 ha in size. This wildfire was detected on July 27, and the cause is currently under investigation.  

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. 

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. 

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.

Stay Informed: