Wildfires of note

August 5

Written by Alberta Wildfire | Aug 5, 2024 8:47:06 PM

There are four wildfires of note in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta.

Jasper Wildfire Complex

Wildfire ANP002 (formally ANP002 and ANP003) is classified as OUT OF CONTROL and Parks Canada is reporting the size to be 34,000 ha. The north and south fires both spread towards the Jasper townsite and have merged together.

Light rains over the wildfire yesterday and more precipitation is expected later today. Cooler weather and precipitation over the next few days are expected to provide some relief.

Crews will continue to work on maintaining and protecting critical infrastructure and utilities, while continuing containment efforts near the Jasper townsite. Facility protection will be ongoing for other remaining values at risk within 15 km of the active fire perimeter.

Alberta Wildfire is assisting Parks Canada with the Jasper Wildfire Complex by providing firefighters, heavy equipment and a helicopter.

For the most up-to-date information on this Complex, visit Parks Canada's website.

The Municipality of Jasper has issued an evacuation order for Jasper National Park. Visit Alberta Emergency Alert for more information.

Highway 16 remains closed. Visit 511 Alberta for more information on highway closures.

LCX001 - Kettle River Complex

The overall situation on Kettle River Complex has improved to the point this complex is no longer considered to be a wildfire of note and will be removed from this list starting tomorrow.

HCX001 - Semo Complex 

Wildfires HWF061 and HWF136  are part of the Semo Complex. Both of these wildfires are out of control.

HWF061 is the largest wildfire in the complex and is 97,526 ha in size. It is located 19 km northeast of Jon D'or Prairie, 15 km north of Fox Lake and 1.9 km north of Highway 58. It was caused by lightning.

HWF136 is 6,135 ha in size. It is located north of highway 58 and approximately 13 km northwest of Garden River.

Other fires in this complex are within or nearby Caribou Mountain Wildland Provincial Park. These fires will be monitored for growth and activity.

Bucketing continued along the southern perimeter of HWF061 and along HWF136's perimeter. Some scattered precipitation was observed over the fire yesterday which will help lower fire behaviour and provide firefighters an opportunity to make gains on containing these wildfires.

There are 441firefighters and support staff, 22helicopters and 110 pieces of heavy equipment working on this complex. An incident management team is overseeing operations.

Residents of Garden River, John D'or Prairie and Fox Lake started returning to their communities this morning (August 5 ,2024).

See the High Level Forest Area update for more information. 

Kiska Complex:

The Kiska Complex, which includes wildfire RWF064, was designated a wildfire of note on August 1st after smoke from wildfires in the area resulted in the closure of a portion of the Forestry Trunk Road.

RWF064 is located approximately 5 km west of the Forestry Trunk Road (highway 734), 19 km northwest of the Ram Falls Provincial Park boundary and 30 km south of Nordegg and is roughly 6,966 ha in size.

RWF062is classified as OUT OF CONTROL and is located approximately 5 km west of the Wapiabi Provincial Recreation Area (PRA), 13 km northwest of Crescent Falls PRA and 30 km west of Nordegg. This fire is approximately 4,936 ha in size. While there was some activity on this wildfire it has not grown significantly since yesterday.

There are currently 39 firefighters and support staff, seven helicopters and 38 pieces of heavy equipment assigned to the Kiska complex to support suppression efforts.

Notice of road closure: The Forestry Trunk Road (Highway 40) is closed between Highway 11 and Highway 752 due to the proximity of RWF064 and heavy smoke causing dangerous driving conditions.

For the latest road conditions, please check Alberta 511.

A number of provincial parks and recreation areas have been closed due to wildfire activity. The Aylmer, Crescent Falls, elk Creek, Fish Pond Wapiabi and Peppers Lake Provincial Recreation Areas as well as Ram falls Provincial Park are all closed.

Visit the Alberta Parks website for more information. 

See the Rocky Mountain House Forest Area Update for more information. 

GWF077 Saddle Hills County, Grande Prairie Forest Area. This wildfire is classified and OUT OF CONTROL at 150 ha.

As of 10 a.m. this morning Saddle Hills County has an evacuation alert in place.

Firefighting efforts have been aided by cooler temperatures and higher humidity levels. Work on establishing a dozer guard is set for completion by 7 p.m. this evening.

There are 11 firefighters and support staff and heavy equipment currently working the 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. 

Calgary Forest Area 

Edson Forest Area 

Fort McMurray Forest Area 

Grande Prairie Forest Area 

High Level Forest Area 

Lac La Biche Forest Area 

Peace River Forest Area 

Rocky Mountain House Forest Area 

Slave Lake Forest Area 

Whitecourt Forest Area