Rocky Mountain House Area Update

The wildfire danger in the Rocky Mountain House Forest Area is MODERATE but dropping to LOW tomorrow. 

Report smoke or fire in the forest by calling 310-FIRE (3473). 

WILDFIRE SITUATION 

RWF-038, Black Mountain Fire 

This wildfire was discovered on July 19 and is located 19 km west of Nordegg. It is classified as under control, at 480 hectares. 

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOUSE FOREST AREA UPDATE

Since January 1, there have been 78 wildfires in the Rocky Mountain House Forest Area which have burned 557 hectares. 

RWF075 was detected on October 20, 2022 and is classified as being held at 35 ha. The wildfire is approximately 10km east of Abraham Lake. This wildfire is being closely monitored by wildfire operations personnel. No communities are at risk at this time. 

PROVINCIAL WILDFIRE UPDATE 

Since January 1, there have been 1254 wildfires in Alberta which have burned 153,124 hectares.

END OF WILDFIRE SEASON 

While wildfire season officially ends October 31 and a fire permit is no longer required for burning inside the Forest Protection Area, it’s important to keep safe winter burning practices top of mind.

Refrain from burning when an inversion is in place or is forecasted.

Consult your local municipality on how to safely undertake larger winter burning projects near communities or roads.

Actively manage burn projects to reduce total burning time.

Burn debris in stages so that you can adapt to changing weather conditions and reduce smoke.

Don’t burn until you have good snow cover in the area (more than 15 cm).

During the 2022 wildfire season, Alberta Wildfire responded to 1,254 wildfires in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta. These wildfires burned over 153,124 hectares in area. That’s near the five-year average for total number of wildfires 1,111, but below the average area burned, which is 190,579 hectares. Alberta experienced a wet spring this year which reduced the wildfire risk significantly at a time when large wildfires are likely to occur. Extended periods of hot, dry conditions through the summer months and into the fall kept the wildfire danger up towards the end of the season. Provincially, we experienced warmer than seasonal temperatures at the end of October which means there is still a risk for wildfires. Last year 67 per cent of wildfires were human-caused and these are completely preventable.

RECRUITMENT 

Are you curious to know if a job with Alberta Wildfire is right for you? Here’s what a day on the job could look like! We’re accepting crew member applications until Nov. 30. More info here: wildfire.alberta.ca/recruitment

NEW WILDFIRE DASHBOARD

The new 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.