Whitecourt Forest Area Wildfire Update May 30, 2023

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.

Reporting Wildfires

Firefighters continue to work on out of control wildfires and fire lookouts are watching for smoke. While we always appreciate people calling in to report wildfires, the large volume of calls we are currently receiving is diverting our resources away from fighting wildfires. As always, please still call 310-FIRE if you see smoke or flame that looks new and potentially unreported, but assume that large columns of smoke and burned over areas have already been detected and reported.

The interior of active wildfires can flare up as previously unburnt vegetation catches fire. This is a normal occurrence. Firefighters are monitoring these active fires and working to put out hot spots. There is no need to report flame or smoke in these areas.

Visit our Wildfire Dashboard to view active wildfires and their stats on the wildfire dashboard. 

All wildfires in Alberta are investigated and these wildfires remain under investigation. To learn more about wildfire classifications, click here. 

WHITECOURT FOREST AREA UPDATE

Since January 1, 2023, there have been 35 wildfires in the Whitecourt Forest Area burning a total of 128,955 ha.

Visit our website and click on the interactive map to view active wildfires and their stats on the wildfire dashboard. 

ACTIVE WILDFIRES 

Eagle Complex WCX-001 (WWF-023, GPF-027)

Crews working on WWF023 (May 30, 2023)

WWF-023 detected on May 5, is listed as out of control at 73,479 ha. As temperatures rise, there is potential for increased smokes to be seen within the wildfire perimeter. There was no new growth identified on the fire perimeter.

Crews will continue identifying compromised trees and removing them to reduce hazards and extinguishing fires found to be burning from inside trees along the perimeter. Equipment will be focused in areas with hot spots, along with heavy equipment to lend further assistance when required.

More than 180 firefighters and support personnel are allocated to this fire. Partners assisting Alberta on the complex include firefighters from Australia, the United States, New Brunswick, and soldiers from 1 Combat Engineer Regiment. 

There are currently 12 helicopters and 7 heavy equipment groups assigned to the Eagle complex. 

Weather today included scattered precipitation over the the fire complex zone . The weather is expected to remain variable until the weekend with warming and wind are forecasted to bring increased burning conditions.

Re-entry Information for Fox Creek Residents

We ask that residents stay out of areas that have been burned by the wildfires in the area. Wildfires will make the root systems of trees weak, and any amount of wind will affect the trees in the area. Falling trees will be an ongoing hazard and for residents’ safety, you should avoid the burned-out areas.

Firefighters will be actively working on and around properties extinguishing hotspots, please give them the space they need to work.

There will be structure protection equipment on homes and infrastructure in the area. We ask that you do not move the equipment as it is in place to protect buildings on your property. Structure protection will remain in place until the wildfire threat has decreased.

GWF-027 was detected on May 13 and is out of control at 55,344 ha. Dozer guards are in progress of being built. Crews will continue working on securing perimeter guard, focusing along the south. Three medium helicopters with buckets are working to keep priority areas cool until crews are able to work on extinguishing the fire.

OTHER WHITECOURT FOREST AREA ACTIVE WILDFIRES 

WWF015 is still Under Control, estimated size at 47 ha. There is one crew patrolling the wildfire.

WWF031 is Under Control. It was detected on May 22 with an estimated size of 0.03ha. Cause was lightning. One HAC crew is working the wildfire.

*Extinguished fires are not reported on this page. Refer to the Alberta Status Dashboard for information about these fires.

• There are multiple EVACUATION ORDERS & ALERTS in the Province. Please visit Alberta Emergency Alerts or your community webpage for more information.
• For road closure information, please visit: 511.alberta.ca
• The NASA FIRMS Fire Information website is a great resource to give an idea of the location of wildfires in the area, but it should be noted that this data is based on interpolation and often can make a wildfire appear larger than it actually is. Wildfire smoke is a tool used for the location of smoke firesmoke.ca
• Anyone with health concerns should visit Alberta Health Services or call 811 for health advice from Alberta Health Link.

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