Province working to extract firefighters trapped in northern Alberta as wildfires surge
A crew of eight firefighters are currently trapped in Chipewyan Lake and the province says they're working on a plan to extract them as severe wildfires rage across Alberta.
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In a social media posted late Thursday night, Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen said at approximately 8:20 p.m. wildland-urban interface crews temporarily lost radio contact while responding to a wildfire in the Chipewyan Lake located 450 km north of Edmonton. One team is currently sheltering at the fire station and another is safe at the school, designated the community's emergency shelter.
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'We are working on a plan to extract all eight personnel using NVIS (night vision), though earlier attempts were limited by heavy smoke,' Loewen said.
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Loewen said there are also indications of damage to structures in the community, but the full extent remains unknown said Loewen.
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A mandatory evacuation order was issued on Wednesday for the community of Chipewyan Lake forcing residents to flee. There is currently a wildfire threatening the Chip and Alpac Road.
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'We will continue to share updates as more information becomes available. Please continue to monitor official sources and stay safe,' Loewen said.
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Forestry minister says more federal funding would make a big difference in wildfire preparedness, prevention
Minister of Forestry and Parks, Todd Loewen, speaks with Alberta Primetime host Michael Higgins about the wildfire situation in the province. Minister of Forestry and Parks, Todd Loewen, speaks with Alberta Primetime host Michael Higgins about the wildfire situation in the province. Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen speaks with Alberta Primetime host Michael Higgins about the wildfire situation in the province. This interview has been edited for clarity and length. Michael Higgins: Evacuation orders have been expanded in the County of Grande Prairie, as well now as the Municipal District of Greenview. What's that say about conditions up in your corner of the province? Todd Loewen: It's definitely dry and we've had quite a bit of lightning that came through earlier that created a bunch of fires. And with high winds that we've been having, it's a perfect scenario for these forest fires to ignite and to grow, and that's the problem. There's a lot of fire in the landscape right now, and with the high winds we've been having, they've been growing exponentially as well. MH: Whether it's the northwest or anywhere else, how would you frame the start of wildfire season in our province and the degree to which it's testing Alberta's ability to respond? TL: The first three weeks of May wasn't that bad. We had a high number of fires, but we were able to get on them quick, and weather conditions allowed us to control those fires pretty quickly. But the last week of May and into June, the lightning came through, and it has a static capacity. As far as our firefighting ability, we've been bringing in resources from other provinces and from other states, and soon here we'll be bringing in people from outside the country, some American crews, Australians as well, maybe even Costa Rica, maybe Mexico. We'll see who has firefighters to spare. 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I reached out to Manitoba, the minister there, talking about the situation they have there. Earlier in the season, we were actually providing help to Manitoba and to Ontario, because we were a little on the slower side early in May, but now we need our resources back, and so they've all moved back home. Now we're asking for help from across the country and around the world. MH: We set up the conversation on expanding calls for a national fire service. The Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs says we're the only G7 country without a national fire administration. Where does Alberta's government stand on those calls? TL: We haven't come up with anything particular that we want to focus on when it comes to that strategy. We know that we have a good organization here, Alberta Wildfire does great work, we have good personnel here. When it comes to resources, I think that's where we could use some help from the feds. 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An undated photo of firefighting crews in Chipewyan Lake, Alta., in May 2025. (Source: Alberta government) Two firefighting crews in northern Alberta temporarily lost contact with their command centre Thursday evening after a wildfire breached the community they were working to protect. The firefighters in Chipewyan Lake – four municipal firefighters and four firefighters specialized in preventing wildfire spread in urban settings – lost radio contact around 8:40 p.m., according to Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen and the Municipal District of Opportunity. Authorities knew they were safe; one team sheltered at the community's fire station, while the other sheltered in the school, which had been designated the emergency shelter. Attempts to use night-vision helicopters failed because of the heavy smoke, so at midnight, officials were still working on an extraction plan. Eventually, it was determined the road out of the community was safe and the stranded teams drove out, assisted by a 20-person forestry crew who cleared felled trees. More details are expected Friday, but the municipal district said 'preliminary reports indicate that there is structure loss in the community.' This is a developing news story. More to come…
