Latest news with #AlbertaWildfire
CTV News
4 days ago
- Climate
- CTV News
Rain calms central Alberta wildfires, doesn't hit north or south
A forest is scorched after the Kiskatinaw River wildfire burned through an area along the B.C.-Alberta border. (B.C. Wildfire Service) There are 56 active wildfires burning in the province as of Monday afternoon. 23 of the fires are classified as out-of-control. Melissa Story with Alberta Wildfire said fire danger has lowered all across the province. 'The rain was helpful in lowering fire behaviour as well as the fire danger,' said Story. 'However, we didn't see the amount of rain that we needed in the northern and southern parts of the province.' But with showers forecasted for the week, she's hopeful the High Level and Calgary forest areas will get a good soak. Fires in the Slave Lake, Lac La Biche and Grande Prairie forest areas are still considered out-of-control despite getting rain over the weekend. Story said it will 'take some time' before their status changes. Story said crews are keeping a closer eye on the Sousa Creek wildfire in northern Alberta as it didn't get as much rain as other parts of the province and is close to the communities of Chateh High Level and Rainbow Lake. 'We're doing everything we can to contain that wildfire,' said Story. Several wildfires that make up the Red Earth East Complex in the Slave Lake forest area received a good dose of rain over the last few days. 'Firefighters were making great progress on those fires,' said Story. 'They are of significant size, so they will take some time to get to an extinguished status … We're hopeful that some of these communities can return home soon.' Other wildfires of note A 21,000-hectare wildfire continues to burn 30 kilometres north of Manning. Cooler temperatures and rainy conditions have slowed fire growth. Highway 35 is open between Hawk Hills and Keg River with speed reductions in place due to decreased visibility with smoke conditions. Twin Lakes Provincial Recreation Area still remains closed at this time. The Blue Sky wildfire north of Marten Beach is still classified as out of control, but did receive a significant amount of rain. Helicopters and airtankers are working to contain the fire by dumping buckets of water along the perimeter of the blaze. Highway 88 is open but smoky conditions may reduce visibility. Firefighters have made significant progress on containing the Tulip Lake wildfire near Fort Fitzgerald and Fort Smith. The fire is still classified as out of control. Kiskatinaw River Wildfire The Kiskatinaw River Wildfire burning along the B.C.-Alberta border. (B.C. Wildfire Service) The Kiskatinaw River wildfire on the B.C.-Alberta border is still considered out of control and is estimated to be 26,627 hectares in size. Alberta Wildfire, B.C. Wildfire Service and the County of Grande Prairie are coordinating response efforts. Showers on the Caribou Lake wildfire are reducing fire behaviour on the 69,307-hectare blaze. It is still classified as out of control. Fire bans Because of the wet weather, many fire bans in the province have been lifted. There are still bans in place for the High Level and Calgary forest areas. 63 per cent of wildfires in the province are caused by humans, Story said. You can find a complete and updated list of current fire bans here.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Dene Tha' First Nation hopes to lift evacuation order this week, Chief says
Dene Tha' First Nation, in northwestern Alberta, has a re-entry plan for wildfire evacuees that it hopes to execute in the coming days, according to Chief Wilfred Hooka-Nooza. The First Nation issued an evacuation order more than two weeks ago, on May 29, due to the Sousa Creek wildfire, which is burning several kilometres south of the community of Chateh, roughly 660 kilometres northwest of Edmonton. The fire is still out of control as of Sunday afternoon, according to the Alberta Wildfire dashboard. But Hooka-Nooza told CBC News that the fire's boundary has been held five to eight kilometres from Chateh. The First Nation developed a re-entry plan, which it had hoped to put into action Sunday, he said. But now the hope is to start returning people to the community Tuesday. The plan is a phased approach that would strategically allow people home over a three-day period, with people who have respiratory health concerns arriving last, Hooka-Nooza said. Wildfires forced thousands of Albertans from their homes earlier this month. But communities have recently lifted evacuation orders and alerts amid recent cool temperatures and rainy weather. "It's been a welcome reprieve from the hot, dry conditions that we have seen previous to this, that did ignite and spread a lot of the fires that are burning across the province," Melissa Story, an Alberta Wildfire provincial information officer, told CBC News Sunday morning. Alberta Wildfire reported 57 total active wildfires throughout the province as of 4 p.m. MT Sunday, about 40 per cent of which out of control, its dashboard shows. Most of Alberta has a low or moderate fire danger, the dashboard shows. But some pockets, including the High Level Forest Area in northwestern Alberta, where the Sousa Creek fire is burning, still have an elevated risk. The area hasn't had rainfall like the other regions, but there is some precipitation in the forecast this week, Story said. "We'll have to wait and see what actually accumulates from it," she said. Hooka-Nooza said the weather in other regions allowed more firefighting resources to be sent to the area. Although the fire danger in most places has dropped, Story noted that there is still a lot of time left before wildfire season ends in October, and said the potential fire risk can change quickly based on the weather conditions.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Dene Tha' First Nation hopes to lift evacuation order this week, Chief says
Dene Tha' First Nation, in northwestern Alberta, has a re-entry plan for wildfire evacuees that it hopes to execute in the coming days, according to Chief Wilfred Hooka-Nooza. The First Nation issued an evacuation order more than two weeks ago, on May 29, due to the Sousa Creek wildfire, which is burning several kilometres south of the community of Chateh, roughly 660 kilometres northwest of Edmonton. The fire is still out of control as of Sunday afternoon, according to the Alberta Wildfire dashboard. But Hooka-Nooza told CBC News that the fire's boundary has been held five to eight kilometres from Chateh. The First Nation developed a re-entry plan, which it had hoped to put into action Sunday, he said. But now the hope is to start returning people to the community Tuesday. The plan is a phased approach that would strategically allow people home over a three-day period, with people who have respiratory health concerns arriving last, Hooka-Nooza said. Wildfires forced thousands of Albertans from their homes earlier this month. But communities have recently lifted evacuation orders and alerts amid recent cool temperatures and rainy weather. "It's been a welcome reprieve from the hot, dry conditions that we have seen previous to this, that did ignite and spread a lot of the fires that are burning across the province," Melissa Story, an Alberta Wildfire provincial information officer, told CBC News Sunday morning. Alberta Wildfire reported 57 total active wildfires throughout the province as of 4 p.m. MT Sunday, about 40 per cent of which out of control, its dashboard shows. Most of Alberta has a low or moderate fire danger, the dashboard shows. But some pockets, including the High Level Forest Area in northwestern Alberta, where the Sousa Creek fire is burning, still have an elevated risk. The area hasn't had rainfall like the other regions, but there is some precipitation in the forecast this week, Story said. "We'll have to wait and see what actually accumulates from it," she said. Hooka-Nooza said the weather in other regions allowed more firefighting resources to be sent to the area. Although the fire danger in most places has dropped, Story noted that there is still a lot of time left before wildfire season ends in October, and said the potential fire risk can change quickly based on the weather conditions.
CTV News
5 days ago
- Science
- CTV News
Use of AI helping fight wildfires by predicting where they might start
The Kiskatinaw River wildfire along the B.C.-Alberta border can be seen from the sky in early June. (Photo: Alberta Wildfire) Wildfire season has become a common occurrence over the last few years with large-scale fires destroying large swaths of cities – and uprooting lives. To combat this, scientists are developing new technology using artificial intelligence (AI) to predict where fires will take place beforehand so that they can be prevented. The rising number of wildfires that have become a part of spring and summer in Alberta over the past decade is pushing several Canadian companies to develop ways to prevent the kinds seen in Fort McMurray in 2016 and in Jasper National Park last year. Some use drone mapping, others such as AI6 use complicated computer systems. Millions of simulations measure minute data such as temperature, rain levels, wind patterns and dryness. Gio Roberti of AI6 says software sifts through the results, creating a map that predicts the likeliest spots where a wildfire could start and spread. 'We are able to capture to understand what the probability of a fire occurring today is and in 10, 20, 50 years, according to different climate change scenarios,' Roberti told CTV News Edmonton. 'There might be cases where mitigation measures might be taken where, for example, preventive burns or fuel thinning and things like that.' The technology is new, but Roberti says it's already in use, identifying potential hot spots to municipalities and insurance companies. 'People take preventative measures when they see their community on the map,' he said. Roberti said the technology could also work beyond the Canadian border.
CBC
5 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
Dene Tha' First Nation hopes to lift evacuation order this week, Chief says
Dene Tha' First Nation, in northwestern Alberta, has a re-entry plan for wildfire evacuees that it hopes to execute in the coming days, according to Chief Wilfred Hooka-Nooza. The First Nation issued an evacuation order more than two weeks ago, on May 29, due to the Sousa Creek wildfire, which is burning several kilometres south of the community of Chateh, roughly 660 kilometres northwest of Edmonton. The fire is still out of control as of Sunday afternoon, according to the Alberta Wildfire dashboard. But Hooka-Nooza told CBC News that the fire's boundary has been held five to eight kilometres from Chateh. The First Nation developed a re-entry plan, which it had hoped to put into action Sunday, he said. But now the hope is to start returning people to the community Tuesday. The plan is a phased approach that would strategically allow people home over a three-day period, with people who have respiratory health concerns arriving last, Hooka-Nooza said. Wildfires forced thousands of Albertans from their homes earlier this month. But communities have recently lifted evacuation orders and alerts amid recent cool temperatures and rainy weather. "It's been a welcome reprieve from the hot, dry conditions that we have seen previous to this, that did ignite and spread a lot of the fires that are burning across the province," Melissa Story, an Alberta Wildfire provincial information officer, told CBC News Sunday morning. Alberta Wildfire reported 57 total active wildfires throughout the province as of 4 p.m. MT Sunday, about 40 per cent of which out of control, its dashboard shows. Most of Alberta has a low or moderate fire danger, the dashboard shows. But some pockets, including the High Level Forest Area in northwestern Alberta, where the Sousa Creek fire is burning, still have an elevated risk. The area hasn't had rainfall like the other regions, but there is some precipitation in the forecast this week, Story said. "We'll have to wait and see what actually accumulates from it," she said. Hooka-Nooza said the weather in other regions allowed more firefighting resources to be sent to the area. Although the fire danger in most places has dropped, Story noted that there is still a lot of time left before wildfire season ends in October, and said the potential fire risk can change quickly based on the weather conditions.
