WHITECOURT FOREST AREA FIRE DANGER RATING
The fire danger rating for the Whitecourt Forest Area remains EXTREME.
Numerous wildfires in Alberta remain out of control and smoky conditions will persist in communities and along highways. People with health concerns is encouraged to visit Alberta Health Services or call 811 for health advice from Alberta Health Link.
Use caution when recreating or working in areas of dry grass as a wildfire will ignite easily and spread quickly. If you see smoke or flame in the forest call 310-FIRE(3473).
COMMUNITY EMERGENCY INFORMATION
We urge everyone in this area to monitor Alberta Emergency Alert. The municipalities will instruct the public regarding evacuation alerts or orders. To learn more, visit: https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-emergency-alert.aspx
You can also monitor your community/municipal Facebook pages for updates.
DO NOT FLY DRONES NEAR WILDFIRES!
The use of recreational drones over wildfires in Alberta is dangerous, illegal and could result in a fine of up to $15,000* for putting aircraft and people at risk. Please give Alberta firefighters the space they need to do their jobs safely. (*Transport Canada)
Hot, dry conditions continue in most areas of the province resulting in numerous wildfires. A provincial state of emergency has been declared. Albertans who require assistance can call 310-4455 for wildfire related information or to visit alberta.ca/emergency.aspx.
ACTIVE WILDFIRES
As of 11:00 p.m. today there were 86 active wildfires in the province; 23 of them were classified out of control. To date the province has responded to 498 wildfires that have consumed more than 938,000 hectares of land.
Firefighters continue to monitor the fireguard near Iosegun Lake extinguishing hot spots and securing the perimeter to limit the chance of any further growth towards the community of Fox Creek.
Eagle Complex WCX-001 (WWF-023, GPF-027)
All new information will be bolded.
WWF-023 detected on May 5, is burning out of control at 77,599 ha. Containment lines north of the Town of Fox Creek continue to hold.
A large portion of the wildfire saw some precipitation over night which is helping to quiet fire behaviour this morning and has allowed helicopters to resume operations over certain areas. These conditions provide firefighters on the ground and heavy equipment operators to build on the progress made to date containing the wildfire.
Crews in the Iosegun Lake area patrolled the established fire guard attacking hotspots while firefighters working west of Highway 43 moved in from the north and south ends making good progress with pumps and hose. That work south if Highway 43 is scheduled to be reinforced by heavy equipment operators who will be building dozer guards around the wildfire in that area.
Alberta has 40 firefighters and support personnel allocated to this fire along with a structural protection unit and the Fox Creek Fire Department. Partners from other jurisdictions include Helitack crew members from Oregon, 20 Colorado-based firefighters, soldiers from 1 Combat Engineer Regiment, and a 19 member unit crew from New Brunswick.
There are currently 17 helicopters assigned to the Eagle complex including 2 heavy helicopters dedicated to bucketing operations.
Additionally, three structural groups from municipalities in the Alberta Wildland Urban Interface Fire Structure Protection Program have been working together on structural protection for the community.
Meteorologists with Alberta Wildfire have indicated precipitation and cooler temperatures are in the forecast for the region early this week. The cooler conditions will help to decrease fire danger levels and allow firefighters to further expand on gains already made in containing wildfires in the area.
Existing lines to the north and west of town continue to hold with no significant growth towards the community of Fox Creek.
Today, A surface front through BC and a trough through Alberta will produce widespread showers and risk of thunder showers from the southwestern boreal to the southern eastern slopes. Winds today will be E-NW 10-15 km/h with gusts to 40 km/h.
GWF-027 was detected on May 13 and is out of control at 54, 274 ha. Whitecourt Forest Area is responsible for managing this wildfire as of May 18 and will update information on this page. For information up to May 17, please refer to Grande Prairie Forest Area updates here.
OTHER AREA ACTIVE WILDFIRES
WWF029 was detected the afternoon of May 15 and is classified being held at approximately 0.26 ha. Alberta Wildfire has two ground crews and two helicopters on site monitoring.
WWF026 was detected on the afternoon of May 12 and is classified as under control at 0.05 ha. It is currently on patrol status with crews monitoring.
WWF024 was detected on May 6 and is under control at 3 ha. Alberta Wildfire will continue working to extinguish the fire. A dozer guard has been constructed by industry personnel.
WWF020 and WWF021 were detected on May 4 and are each considered under control.
WWF015 located near the Hamlet of Blue Ridge was detected on May 3 and is under control at 47 ha. Alberta Wildfire has a crew, with water tankers, dozers and a skidder who will continue working until the fire is deemed extinguished. An aerial assessment of this fire on May 12th saw no detection of smoke and fire activity.
*Extinguished fires are not reported on this page. Refer to the Alberta Status Dashboard for information about these fires.
AREA ADJACENT WILDFIRES
Deep Creek Complex (WCU001, WCU002, EWF035)
EWF035, WCU001 & WCU002 are part of the Deep Creek Complex. For wildfire updates on this group of wildfires, please visit https://srd.web.alberta.ca/edson-area-update.
- For updates from Parkland County and evacuation information, please visit their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ParklandCountyAB. Residents in the affected areas can contact the Emergency Information Line at 1-780-968-8888.
- For updates from Yellowhead County and evacuation information, please visit their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/yellowheadcounty Residents in the affected areas can contact the Yellowhead County Emergency Information Line at 1-833-334-4630.
Grizzly Complex (SWF057, SWF063, SWF064)
For wildfire updates on this group of wildfires, please visit https://srd.web.alberta.ca/slave-lake-area-update.
The above wildfires remain under investigation. To learn more about wildfire classifications, click here.
Volunteer Information
Volunteers, equipment owners/operators or firefighters looking to assist with these wildfires or any of the wildfires within the province, please contact EmergencySupportOffers@gov.ab.ca.
FIRE BAN AND OFF-HIGHWAY VEHICLE RESTRICTION NOW IN EFFECT
A fire ban and OHV restriction is in effect within the Forest Protection Area due to extreme fire danger.
Under this fire ban:
- All existing Fire Permits are suspended (or cancelled)
- No new Fire Permits will be issued
Prohibited:
- 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
Allowed:
- 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
If you see a wildfire, report it immediately by calling 310-FIRE.
The fire ban will remain in effect until conditions improve.
Find wildfire forecasts, weather maps and information about how fire danger is monitored in Alberta please visit: alberta.ca/fire-weather-and-forecasts.aspx
Stay tuned to albertafirebans.ca throughout the wildfire season for more information about fire bans and restrictions in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta.
WHITECOURT FOREST AREA UPDATE
Since January 1, 2023, there have been 30 wildfires in the Whitecourt Forest Area burning a total of 87,949 ha.
Visit our website and click on the interactive map to view active wildfires and their stats on the wildfire dashboard.
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.
780-778-7166 if this line is unavailable please call 780-778-7153
General Information Related to Alberta Wildfire or Fire Bans, Restrictions, or Advisories
1-866-FYI-FIRE
General/Other Forestry Related Questions
780-778-7153
Websites:
- Alberta Wildfire
- Alberta Fire Bans
- FireSmart in Alberta
- Alberta Emergency Alerts
- Air Quality Health Index
- Wildfire Smoke and Your Health
- 511 Road Reports
- Emergency Preparation
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