Wildfires of note

There is one wildfire of note in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta.

Fire number: MWF031

Status: Being held

Size: 24,930 hectares (ha)

Location: 21 km north of Fort Chipewyan

Infrastructure nearby: Remote cabins

Resources assigned: Incident Management Team, ignition specialist, structure protection specialist and crews, 50 firefighters, and seven helicopters.

Comments:

This wildfire remains on the edge of Flett Lake with an estimated size of the wildfire is 24,930 ha. The cause of the wildfire was lightening. It does not threaten any communities at this time. The fire has not grown towards the south and therefore has not gotten closer to Fort Chipewyan or the airport.

There was minimal fire activity observed on wildfire MWF031 yesterday. Firefighters, assisted by helicopter bucketing operations, continued to work on strengthening the containment line to the south of the fire.

Another group of firefighters completed their work on structure protection on buildings identified as being directly threatened by the wildfire. For those structures crews will now focus efforts to maintaining equipment including pumps, hoses, and sprinkler systems. The structure protection plan for Fort Chipewyan, Allison Bay, and Dog Head is complete.

Temperatures today are expected to remain steady at 24C with humidity levels at roughly 35 per cent. West-southwest winds will be 25km/h in the morning gusting to 45 km/h and will continue to push the fire northeast. Weak inversions may continue to develop overnight, which could bring smoke into the community, but they are expected to break by 11 a.m., allowing the smoke to dissipate.

Today, firefighters and helicopters will continue their indirect attack on the wildfire. A total of 50 firefighters and seven helicopters are assigned to wildfire MWF031 and stationed in Fort Chipewyan. Additional aircraft are available if needed in Fort McMurray.

This information will be updated, as required, 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. 

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 

There is one wildfire of note in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta.

Fire number: MWF031

Status: Being held

Size: 24,930 hectares (ha)

Location: 21 km north of Fort Chipewyan

Infrastructure nearby: Remote cabins

Resources assigned: Incident Management Team, ignition specialist, structure protection specialist and crews, 50 firefighters, and six helicopters.

Comments:

This wildfire remains on the edge of Flett Lake with an estimated size of the wildfire is 24,930 ha. The cause of the wildfire was lightening. It does not threaten any communities at this time. The fire has not grown towards the south and therefore has not gotten closer to Fort Chipewyan or the airport.

There was minimal fire activity observed on wildfire MWF031 yesterday. Firefighters, assisted by helicopter bucketing operations, continued to work on strengthening the containment line to the south of the fire. A containment line between Flett Lake and the Des Rochers river has been established.

Another group of firefighters continued to work on structure protection. They were busy maintaining equipment such as pumps, hoses and sprinkler systems on buildings identified as being directly threatened by the wildfire. The protection plan for Fort Chipewyan, the airport and the airport road is complete. The protection plan for Dog Head is also complete.

Rain and thunder is expected today, with slightly cooler temperatures (24C) than yesterday. Humidity will be around 35 per cent, which is expected to keep fire behaviour low, despite a 15 km/h wind shift that could push the fire northeast. The wind is expected to increase to 20 km/h in the afternoon, with wind gusts up to 35 km/h. Weak inversions may continue to develop overnight, which could bring smoke into the community, but they are expected to break by 11 a.m., allowing the smoke to dissipate.

Today, firefighters and helicopters will continue their indirect attack on the wildfire. A total of 50 firefighters and six helicopters are assigned to wildfire MWF031 and stationed in Fort Chipewyan. Additional aircraft are available if needed in Fort McMurray.

This information will be updated, as required, 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. 

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 

There is one wildfire of note in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta.

Fire number: MWF031

Status: Being held

Size: 24,930 hectares (ha)

Location: 21 km north of Fort Chipewyan

Infrastructure nearby: Remote cabins

Resources assigned: Incident Management Team, ignition specialist, structure protection specialist and crews, 45 firefighters, and six helicopters.

Comments:

This wildfire remains on the edge of Flett Lake and is growing towards the north. The wildfire is estimated to be 24,930 ha in size and was caused by lightning. It does not threaten any communities at this time. The fire has not grown towards the south and therefore has not gotten closer to Fort Chipewyan or the airport.

The wildfire received 1.2 mm of rain over the past 24 hours and firefighters are continuing work on strengthening the containment line on the south side of the wildfire. The containment line has been established along a natural break located between Flett Lake and the Des Rochers River. Indirect attack and structure protection efforts are ongoing.

Dry conditions are expected today with temperatures in the high 20s and humidity levels around 30 per cent. Winds are forecasted to be from the southwest at 20 kph gusting up to 35 kph. This will continue to drive the wildfire in a north-easterly direction.

This information will be updated, as required, 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. 

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 

There is one wildfire of note in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta.

Fire number: MWF031

Status: Being held

Size: 24,930 hectares (ha)

Location: 21 km north of Fort Chipewyan

Infrastructure nearby: Remote cabins

Resources assigned: Incident Management Team, ignition specialist, structure protection specialist and crews, 45 firefighters, and six helicopters.

Comments:

This wildfire remains on the edge of Flett Lake and is growing towards the north. The wildfire is estimated to be 24,930 ha in size and was caused by lightning. It does not threaten any communities at this time. The fire has not grown towards the south and therefore has not gotten closer to Fort Chipewyan or the airport.

Firefighters expect similar fire behaviour today. Temperatures are forecasted to be in the high 20s with humidity around 35%. Winds are expected to come from the southwest tomorrow at 15 km/h, which will push the wildfire towards the northeast. There is a chance of showers and thundershowers in the evening.

Firefighters and helicopters will continue their indirect attack on the wildfire.

Yesterday, firefighters continued to work on strengthening the containment line to the south of the fire. They were assisted by helicopter bucketing operations. The containment line has been established along a natural break located between Flett Lake and the Des Rochers river. It's intended to prevent the wildfire from spreading south.

Another group of firefighters continued to work on structure protection. They were busy maintaining equipment such as pumps, hoses and sprinkler systems on buildings identified as being directly threatened by the wildfire. The structure protection plan is now complete for the community of Allison Bay. The protection plan for Fort Chipewyan, the airport and the airport road is nearly complete.

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. 

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 

There is one wildfire of note in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta.

Fire number: MWF031

Status: Being held

Size: 24,237 hectares (ha)

Location: 21 km north of Fort Chipewyan

Infrastructure nearby: Remote cabins

Resources assigned: Incident Management Team, ignition specialist, structure protection specialist and crews, 40 firefighters, and six helicopters.

Comments:

This wildfire remains on the edge of Flett Lake and is growing towards the north. The wildfire is estimated to be 24,237 ha in size and was caused by lightning. It does not threaten any communities at this time. The fire has not grown towards the south and therefore has not gotten closer to Fort Chipewyan or the airport.

Firefighters expect the fire behaviour to pick up in the afternoon today. Temperatures are forecasted to be in the high 20s with humidity around 35%. Winds are expected to come from the southwest at 15 km/h, which will push the wildfire towards the northeast. There is a chance of showers and thundershowers in the evening.

Firefighters and helicopters will continue their indirect attack on the wildfire today. Yesterday, firefighters continued to work on strengthening the containment line to the south of the fire. They were assisted by helicopter bucketing operations. The containment line has been established along a natural break located between Flett Lake, Little Rapids and towards the boundary of Wood Buffalo National Park. It's intended to prevent the wildfire from spreading south.

Another group of firefighters continued structure protection by deploying equipment such as pumps, hoses and sprinkler systems on buildings identified as being directly threatened by the wildfire. The structure protection plan is now complete for the community of Allison Bay. The protection plan for Fort Chipewyan, the airport and the airport road is nearly complete. 

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. 

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 

There is one wildfire of note in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta.

Fire number: MWF031

Status: Being held

Size: 24,365 hectares (ha)

Location: 21 km north of Fort Chipewyan

Infrastructure nearby: Remote cabins

Resources assigned: Incident Management Team, ignition specialist, structure protection specialist and crews, 41 firefighters, and six helicopters.

Comments:

Firefighters observed high fire behaviour on the northeastern boundary yesterday. The fire is burning on the northeastern flank, away from the community. The fire did reach Powder Creek and has likely reached the Wood Buffalo National Park boundary.

A crew of firefighters returned to Flett Lake to search for and extinguish hotspots near infrastructure. Another group of firefighters continued structure protection by deploying equipment such as pumps, hoses and sprinkler systems on buildings identified as being directly threatened by the wildfire. This work is expected to continue in the coming days. The structure protection plan is now complete for the community of Allison Bay. The protection plan for Fort Chipewyan, the airport and the airport road is still being drafted. 

Firefighters expect less intense fire behaviour today as temperatures are forecasted to be slightly lower tomorrow with higher humidity. Winds are expected to come from the southwest at 20 km/h and occasionally gusting to 35 km/h, which will push the wildfire away from the community towards the northeast. There is a chance of showers and thundershowers in the evening, which could lead to lightning in the area.

Firefighters and helicopters will continue to conduct indirect attack on the wildfire. Ignition activities were planned for strategic locations on the southwest boundary of the fire last night. The goal of the ignition is to tie the wildfire to natural fuel breaks to reduce the risk of the wildfire moving south. As part of that effort a containment line has been established along a natural break located between Flett Lake, Little Rapids and towards the boundary of Wood Buffalo National Park.

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. 

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 

There is one wildfire of note in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta.

Fire number: MWF031

Status: Being held

Size: 14,453 hectares (ha)

Location: 21 km north of Fort Chipewyan

Infrastructure nearby: Remote cabins

Resources assigned: Incident Management Team, ignition specialist, structure protection specialist and crews, 41 firefighters, and six helicopters.

Comments: This wildfire is actively managed and monitored by firefighters on a daily basis and is not threatening any communities at this time. Increased fire activity is expected today. Temperatures are expected to reach 30°C with relative humidity around 20% or lower. These conditions could be challenging for firefighters. Winds are expected from the southeast at 20 km/h and gusting to 30 km/h, which will push the wildfire to the northwest, away from the community of Fort Chipewyan.

A successful large scale ignition burn was conducted Wednesday evening and more ignitions are planned for the evenings when conditions allow. The goal of these ignitions 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 and building the containment line on the southwest corner. This containment line is located along a natural break which is between Flett Lake, Little Rapids and towards the boundary of Wood Buffalo National Park. It's intended to prevent the wildfire from spreading south. These airtankers continue to be available as required.

Firefighters will continue to extinguish hot spots on the southern flank of the wildfire, assisted by helicopter bucketing operations. Structure protection specialists will continue deploying equipment such as pumps, hoses and sprinkler systems on buildings identified as being in the path of the wildfire. A crew of firefighters was deployed yesterday to Flett Lake to search for and extinguish hotspots near infrastructure. Another group of firefighters worked with the structure protection specialists assessing and deploying equipment such as pumps, hoses and sprinkler systems on buildings identified as being directly threatened by the wildfire. This work is expected to continue in the coming days. Additional structure protection equipment and six crew members arrived yesterday morning. The structure protection plan is now complete for the community of Allison Bay. The protection plan for Fort Chipewyan and the airport 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. 

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 

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. 

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 

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. Forecasted winds are expected to be up to 15 km/h and will push the wildfire towards the west and northwest, away from the community of Fort Chipewyan. Firefighters expect the wildfire to grow up to 2,000 ha on its north flank.

Structure protection plans are being developed for Allison Bay and Fort Chipewyan. Firefighters are working with structure protection specialists to assess and possibly deploy equipment to identified buildings that are at greatest risk from the wildfire.

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. 

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 

There is one wildfire of note in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta.

Fire number: MWF031

Status: Being held

Size: 7,650 hectares (ha)

Location: 21 km north of Fort Chipewyan

Infrastructure nearby: Remote cabins

Resources assigned: Incident Management Team, ignition specialist, structure protection specialist, five helicopters, 20 firefighters (arriving today)

Comments: This wildfire is actively managed and monitored by firefighters on a daily basis and is not threatening any communities at this time. Forecasted winds are expected to shift and push the fire towards the north, away from the community of Fort Chipewyan. Firefighters expect the wildfire to grow up to 2,000 ha on its north flank.

A structure protection specialist will begin assessing the area and building a plan for the community of Fort Chipewyan and surrounding area, as a precaution in the event that the wildfire does approach or a new one ignites.

Yesterday, firefighters were successful at achieving their goal of tying the wildfire to natural fuel breaks in an attempt to prevent the wildfire from moving south.

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. 

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