There are three wildfires of note in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta.
HCX001 - Semo Complex
Several wildfires make up the Semo Complex. It includes HWF053, HWF061, HWF081, HWF083.
The Semo 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.
HWF061 is the largest wildfire in the complex. It currently burning out of control 21 km northeast of Jon D'or Prairie, 17 km north of Fox Lake and 30 km northwest of Garden River. The closest part of the wildfire is approximately 8 km from highway 58.The wildfire is now estimated to be 45,153 hectares (ha) in size. It was caused by lightning.
Heavy equipment operators continue to work both day and night on the south perimeter of the fire to gain better access. Heavy equipment is working on the east side to build containment lines and crews will support the operators by extinguishing hotspots. Heavy equipment operators on the west side are building additional dozer guard. Additional dozer guards are also being built to create safety zones for firefighters and equipment.
Helicopters will continue to bucket along priority areas along the south perimeter when visibility allows. Firefighters will work on the southeast side of the fire. Airtankers will support the south perimeter if they can be used effectively.
There are 194 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.
The weather forecast is calling for temperatures of 24C today, with a relative humidity of 40% with winds out of the southeast at 15-20 km/h, gusting to 30-40 km/h. Winds are expected to switch to west-southwest at 20-25 km/h winds, gusting 40-45 km/h, around noon. High intensity and very fast-moving fire is expected. It will be a challenging day for firefighters and equipment on the line.
MCX002 - Cattail Lake Complex
Several wildfires make up the Cattail Lake Complex. It includes MWF046, MWF047, MWF048, MWF051, MWF054 and MWF055. All of these wildfires are classified as under control, except for MWF047. The wildfires were caused by lightning.
MWF047 is the largest wildfire that's included in this complex, is approximately 28,000 ha in size and is classified as out of control.
This wildfire remains approximately 8 km northeast of industrial facilities, about 50 km northeast Fort McKay and 70 km northeast of Fort McMurray.
There are 241 personnel currently working on this complex. This includes 134 firefighters, 26 incident management team members and support staff, as well as contractors and pilots. We have 18 helicopters and 16 pieces of heavy equipment working on this wildfire.
Helicopters continue to move crews to strategic locations along the perimeter and also continue to complete bucketing operations on hotspots identified by crews.
Yesterday, we saw minimal growth on the wildfire. Most of the growth was on the southeast corner and slightly to the west.
Overnight, heavy equipment operators continued to work on a guard on the northwest edge of the perimeter. Unfortunately, due to heavy smoke which impacted visibility, they were removed for safety reasons.
Today, we expect a high of 30C and a relative humidity of 25 per cent. Winds will be out of the west-southwest at 20 km/h, gusting up to 40 km/h. These conditions are conducive to extreme fire behaviour. The forecast also shows that from about 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. tonight, we will see the most intense winds, which is likely when we will see fire growth. We expect another challenging firefighting day today.
MWF060 - Rabbit Lake Wildfire
MWF060 was discovered July 5 and is located approximately 8 km east of the Slave Lake Forest Area border and the Fort McMurray Forest Area border. It is classified as out of control and is estimated to be 4,750 ha in size. There are 20 firefighters and five helicopters currently working on this wildfire.
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