There are two wildfires 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 13,000 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 was minimal fire behavior last night. Dozer guards continue to be built around the west and south sides of this fire. We will be keeping an eye on the weather activity as winds begin to shift later this morning.
There are 201 personnel currently working on this complex. There are 20 helicopters responding to this wildfire, with most of them completing bucketing operations and 36 heavy equipment groups working on day and night operations.
Today is expected to be a challenging for crews as temperatures are on the rise and hotter temperatures are expected over the next few days.
The main objective for today is to maintain and build containment lines around the south and west sides of this fire. This fire has seen an increase in aggressive behavior on its south side, our plan is to shift more crews to the area for a more aggressive attack. The bucketing operation will continue throughout the day.
Today, we expect a high of 30 degrees. Winds will come out of the south west at 15 km/h switching to the northwest later this morning. We will see gusts of up to 30 km/h throughout the day.
HCX001 - Semo Wildfire Complex
There are several wildfires that make up the Semo Wildfire Complex. This includes HWF053, HWF061, HWF081, HWF083.
The Semo Wildfire Complex is located north of John D'Or Prairie, Garden River and Fox Lake. It includes the Caribou Mountains Wildland Provincial Park, between the Ponton and the Wentzel River. These wildfires are currently being managed by an incident management team. Additional resources have been requested and will be arriving in the coming days.
HWF061 is the largest of the wildfires. It currently burning OUT OF CONTROL 39 km northeast of Jon D'or Prairie, 28 km north of Fox Lake and 32 km northwest of Garden River. At this time the fire does not pose a threat to any community. The closest part of the wildfire is approximately 12 km from highway 58.The wildfire is now estimated to be 16,334 ha in size and caused by lightning.
Heavy equipment operators continue both day and night to the southwest side of the fire to gain better access. Daytime helicopters will continue to bucket along the north side of the fire as they work to secure the west side and down towards the south. Firefighters will begin responding to the fire when safe zones are established. Airtankers will be used when they can be effective to aid in wildfire operations.
There are 113 firefighters and support staff, eight helicopters and 18 pieces of heavy equipment assigned to the Semo Complex. Additional resources are on the way to support firefighting activities.
Today, the weather forecast is calling for temperatures of 26C with a relative humidity of 40% with winds out of the northwest-northeast at 10-15 km/h.
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