There is one wildfire of note in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta.
MCX002 - Cattail Lake Complex
There are several wildfires that are all being managed together under MCX002. This includes MWF046, MWF047, MWF048, MWF051, MWF054 and MWF055. All of these wildfires are classified as under control, except for MWF047. All of these wildfires were caused by lightning.
MWF047 is the largest wildfire that's included in this complex, is approximately 12,922 ha in size and is classified as out of control.
This wildfire is approximately 8 km northeast of industrial facilities, about 50 km northeast Fort McKay and 70 km northeast of Fort McMurray. Yesterday, there was no significant growth towards any infrastructure.
There are 176 personnel currently working on this complex; 92 are firefighters, and the rest include pilots, engineers, heavy equipment operators and support staff. We currently have 16 helicopters, with most of them completing bucketing operations and three heavy equipment groups that will work to create a fireguard.
Crews will work on the west corner of the fire from both the northwest and southwest corners of the wildfire. We will also plan on on establishing a dozer guard on the west side of the wildfire.
We saw minimal growth on the wildfire overnight. The smoke coming from wildfires in other areas assisted to keep fire behaviour low. During evening operations - good progress has been made on the dozer guard and crews continue to work on fire lines in different areas of the fire.
Today, we expect a high of 23 degrees with relative humidity sitting at 45 per cent. Winds will be coming out of the Northwest at 20 km/h with gusts up to 40 km/h. Currently, there is a 40 per cent chance of 1-2 mm of rain.
A wildfire of note is determined to be of significant public interest and may pose a threat to public safety, communities or critical infrastructure.
Wildfires of note do not typically include mutual aid wildfires located outside of the Forest Protection Area of Alberta. Alberta Wildfire provides assistance on a mutual aid wildfire but is not the lead agency.
The Forest Protection Area of Alberta is divided into ten forest areas. Find the latest updates for each area or subscribe to receive them in your inbox.
Rocky Mountain House Forest Area