There is one wildfire of note in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta.
Fire number: MWF031
Status: Being held
Size: 10,453 hectares (ha)
Location: 21 km north of Fort Chipewyan
Infrastructure nearby: Remote cabins
Resources assigned: Incident Management Team, ignition specialist, structure protection specialist, 32 firefighters, and five helicopters.
Comments: This wildfire is actively managed and monitored by firefighters on a daily basis and is not threatening any communities at this time. Temperatures are forecasted to be slightly higher today, nearing 27°C, but the relative humidity is also likely to increase which may lessen the fire activity. Winds are expected to come from the southeast, 15 km/h gusting to 30 km/h, pushing the wildfire away from the community towards the northwest.
Firefighters will continue to do indirect attack on the wildfire and will be assisted by helicopter bucket operations and plan on conducting additional ignition burning in strategic locations on the southwest boundary of the fire. The goal of the ignition is to tie the wildfire to natural fuel breaks in an attempt to prevent the wildfire from moving south. Airtankers have been assisting with wildfire operations, dropping retardant in an attempt to build containment lines to prevent the southern spread of the wildfire, and continue to be available if needed.
A group of firefighters worked with the structure protection specialists assessing and deploying equipment such as pumps, hoses and sprinkler systems on identified buildings that are directly threatened by the wildfire. This work will continue, with additional structure protection equipment and six crew members scheduled to arrive today. The structure protection plan is now complete for the community of Allison Bay and Fort Chipewyan is currently being drafted.
This wildfire is located in a wildfire management zone and will be allowed to safely play its natural role on the landscape on its northern flank, away from the community of Fort Chipewyan. Using this wildfire management strategy has many benefits. It re-introduces fire onto the landscape, creates a break in the continuous fuels, reduces the intensity of the fire, provides safety zones for our firefighting crews to work from and reduces the cost of fighting these wildfires.
This information will be updated tomorrow by 11 a.m.
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