Latest news with #SlaveLake
CTV News
3 days ago
- Climate
- CTV News
Chateh lifts evacuation order as wildfires let up from wet weather
Chateh residents can breathe a sigh of relief as a wildfire evacuation order is lifted thanks to wet and cooler conditions. Alberta Wildfire said Dene Tha' First Nation lifted its evacuation order on Tuesday, allowing members to return to the community of Chateh. Residents are advised to remain prepared to evacuate again if conditions worsen. The community was put under an evacuation order on May 29. On Monday, Swan Hills lifted its evacuation alert for the community as a nearby wildfire in the Slave Lake forest area is now 'being held.' Lac La Biche lifted its evacuation alert for southern Winefred Lake and Grist Lake. Other communities still under evacuation orders Several communities remain under evacuation orders as wildfires continue to burn in other parts of the province. Saddle Hills County's evacuation order now includes everyone located between Township Road 794 and Highway 680 (Township Road 802), and Range Road 95 and Highway 725, as well as the Crown Land north of Township Road 800 and south of the Blueberry Mountain Grazing Reserve. The surrounding areas are still under evacuation alert. The Kee Tas Kee Now Tribal Council's evacuation orders for Loon Lake 235, Peerless Lake and Trout Lake remain in effect. Evacuation orders for Red Earth Creek and Chipewyan Lake are also still in place. Red Earth Creek complex One of the Red Earth Creek complex fires can be seen on June 3, 2025. (Photo: Alberta Wildfire) Highway 686 between Red Earth Creek and Trout Lake is currently closed due to a nearby wildfire. The County of Grande Prairie lifted its evacuation order, allowing all residents to return home. An evacuation alert remains in place for everyone north of Township Road 710 to 740, east of the provincial border with British Columbia to Range Road 132. Highway 671/Kelly Lake Road at the Alberta-B.C. border to Range Road 130, southwest of Hythe, is now open Those under an evacuation alert are to be prepared to leave within 30 minutes notice and should have three days worth supplies including food and water. Residents of Marten Beach and those in the Hawk Hills area should also be prepared to evacuate. Current wildfire situation There are currently 58 active wildfires burning in the province, 22 of them are classified as out-of-control. Nine are being held and 26 are under control. Alberta Wildfire said nine new fires have started in the last 24 hours. Kiskatinaw River The Kiskatinaw River wildfire along the B.C.-Alberta border can be seen from the sky in early June. (Photo: Alberta Wildfire) More than 1,500 firefighters from Alberta, Yukon, B.C., Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Australia, Washington State, Oregon, Idaho, Hawaii and the United States Forest Service are working on containing and extinguishing wildfires throughout the province. Fire bans A fire ban is still in effect for the High Level forest area, as well as parts of the Fort McMurray and Calgary forest areas. The County of Grande Prairie downgraded its fire ban to a fire restriction. Permitted burning is restricted to approved recreational fire pits, approved burn barrels and propane-fired appliances like barbecues and smokers. Under a fire ban, all outdoor wood fires, barbecue charcoal briquettes, fireworks and exploding targets are prohibited. Information on fire bans can be found here.
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.
CTV News
7 days ago
- Climate
- CTV News
Wet weather to provide little respite for northern Alberta wildfires
A view of a smoke plume coming off of the Caribou Lake Wildfire, near Winefred Lake, on June 3, 2025 (Photo: Alberta Wildfire) While much of central Alberta is getting a good dose of rain in the coming days, the wet weather won't make it up north where many wildfires are still blazing out of control. Melissa Story with Alberta Wildfire said the northwest part of the province likely won't see much rain. 'Northern parts of the province will likely see higher fire behaviour and increased fire danger,' said Story, adding that crews are working to contain a number of out-of-control wildfires in the area. The Red Earth Creek wildfire complex north of Slave Lake hasn't seen any rain, said Story. Red Earth Creek wildfire complex One of several fires that make up the Red Earth Creek Creek complex can be seen in a photo from June 2, 2025. (Photo: Alberta Wildfire) (iPhone) Luckily, the Kiskatinaw River wildfire on the Alberta-B.C. border is expected to see 20 to 40 millimetres of precipitation. Story said the fire, which has burned over 26,000 hectares, hasn't grown significantly in the last couple of days and is seeing less fire behaviour. 'We're making some really great progress on it,' said Story. Crews from Eastern Canada, the U.S. and Australia are still in Alberta helping to fight the 51 wildfires. On track for a worse wildfire season than 2024 This year, Alberta has seen 551 wildfires that have burned over 650,000 hectares There were 425 fires around this time last year that had burned just 30,000 hectares. Trees scorched by wildfire stand in a burn area near Fox Creek, Alberta, on Tuesday, July 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) Trees scorched by wildfire stand in a burn area near Fox Creek, Alberta, on Tuesday, July 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) (Noah Berger/AP) 'We are well above where we were last year,' said Story. 'When we compare to 2023, which was the worst wildfire year we saw on record, we're at about half of the area burned than we were at that time.' Some communities still under evacuation Several wildfires that make up the Red Earth Creek wildfire complex near Slave Lake have prevented residents in five communities from returning home. Evacuation orders for Chipewyan Lake, Peerless and Trout Lake, Red Earth Creek and Loon River First Nation are still in place. Chipewyan Lake has suffered significant structural damage in the community. Chipewyan Lake June 2 fire Aerial photos show the Bigstone Cree Nation health centre destroyed by fire in Chipewyan Lake on June 2, 2025. (Photo: Facebook/Bigstone Cree Nation) The County of Grande Prairie downgraded an evacuation order Thursday as rainfall continues to stall the growth of the Kiskatinaw River wildfire. An evacuation order for those north of Township Road 710 to 740, east of the Alberta-B.C. border to Range Road 132 is still in place. Evacuation alerts remain for others in the area. Those under an alert should be prepared to leave within 30 minutes' notice. For all active evacuation orders and emergency alerts, visit the Alberta Emergency Alert website. Other wildfires of note Highway 25 is closed between Hawk Hills and Keg River while the Slims Creek wildfire burns 30 kilometres north of Manning. Speed reductions are in place due to decreased visibility with smoke conditions. The Twin Lakes Provincial Recreation Area near the Slims Creek wildfire remains closed. Officials say the fire has grown considerably over the last day. Airtankers and helicopters are dumping water on the Blue Sky wildfire about 22 kilometres north of Marten Beach. Wildfire near Edson Airtankers work on a wildfire near Edson, Alta., in a Friday, June 9, 2023, handout photo. A town in northwestern Alberta is being evacuated due to an out-of-control wildfire. An evacuation order has been issued for the town of Edson and parts of Yellowhead County. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Government of Alberta Fire Service The Tulip Lake wildfire is burning 15 kilometres northeast of Fort Fitzgerald and 28 kilometres east of Fort Smith. The fire saw minimal growth yesterday due to favourable conditions but with warm weather hitting the area over the next several days, active fire behaviour is expected. Night vision helicopters worked on the Sousa Creek wildfire near High Level last night. The fire is estimated to be over 42,000 hectares in size. About 14 millimetres of rain significantly decreased activity with the Caribou Lake wildfire. The fire is still out of control and has reached over 69,000 hectares in size. Fire bans in the Forest Protection Area are still in place. Check with your municipal government for local fire bans. Information on active wildfires can be found on the Government of Alberta website.
CTV News
06-06-2025
- CTV News
Man with 61 charges out of Edmonton arrested in northern Alberta
A 43-year-old man arrested in Slave Lake had 61 charges from Edmonton police and was wanted on several warrants. Slave Lake RCMP say members of their crime reduction unit were doing proactive patrols and found an individual not respecting their release conditions. Further investigation revealed the man was wanted on several warrants out of Edmonton with 61 charges having been laid by the Edmonton Police Service. The man was found on Wednesday. He fled from officers but was ultimately arrested, police said. He's in custody and is to appear in Edmonton court on Monday.
CTV News
04-06-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Half of Chipewyan Lake destroyed by fire, others return home
A wildfire near Peerless Lake can be seen on June 2, 2025. (Photo: Alberta Wildfire) Some Alberta evacuees headed home Tuesday, while others learned their homes had been destroyed. Bigstone Cree Nation, which includes the communities of Calling Lake, Chipewyan Lake, and Wabasca, said in a Tuesday update that aerial assessments showed 38 structures were destroyed, including the Bigstone Health Centre and the Chipewyan Lake water treatment plant. Nine sheds were also lost and 10 other buildings were partially damaged. 'This means that the community of Chipewyan Lake has experienced a 49 per cent structure loss,' Chief Andy Alook said. Chipewyan Lake June 2 fire Aerial photos show the Bigstone Cree Nation health centre destroyed by fire in Chipewyan Lake on June 2, 2025. (Photo: Facebook/Bigstone Cree Nation) Fire breached the community just hours after it was evacuated due to the Red Earth fire complex, which is made up of at least nine wildfires burning out of control in the Slave Lake Forest Area. Four of those fires collectively cover 2,463 square-kilometres. In addition to Chipewyan Lake, Peerless Lake, Trout Lake, Red Earth Creek and Loon River First Nation were also evacuated. Bigstone Cree Nation said it is working to secure temporary housing for evacuated residents in Wabasca, and will lobby the provincial and federal governments for rebuilding assistance. Wet weather helps some Residents in Peers, Mercoal and Robb were allowed back into their Yellowhead County communities after being forced to flee due to a nearby out-of-control wildfire over 738 hectares in size. 'We are seeing fire behavior in those areas has settled since the precipitation has moved through late last week and early this week,' said Alberta Wildfire information officer Derrick Forsythe. '(Crews) have done a great job in kind of knocking that fire down,' he added, 'and securing the areas that needed to be secured.' Peers resident Irene Vanderwell said it was a relief to be able to go home. '(I'm) very appreciative to the firefighters and everyone who worked to get it out, they did an amazing job,' she added. On Monday, residents living east of the Pembina River in the Hubert Lake Wildfire Provincial Park area were allowed to go home – though an evacuation order remained in place for people west of the river. While rain, colder weather and higher relative humidity had helped temper fire danger in parts of the province, Forsythe said things could heat up quickly again as things start to dry out. 'The big thing to remember is that just because we're not hearing of all kinds of new starts and you're not seeing pictures of big, black plumes or smoke in the sky, doesn't mean that this fight is over by any stretch of the imagination,' Forsythe said. 'If people can be careful and just take every precaution possible to ensure we don't have any new starts, that would be greatly appreciated.' As of Tuesday at 4 p.m., there were 56 active wildfires in Alberta, with 26 of those burning out of control. So far this year, there have been 504 wildfires and more than 490,000 hectares have burned. Fire crews from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, the Yukon, British Columbia, Quebec and the U.S. were in Alberta helping local firefighters, with more than 1,000 personnel working on fires across the province. June 2 Alberta Wildfire briefing Alberta Wildfire crews were joined by supporting firefighters from the Yukon and the U.S. states of Oregon and Idaho for a briefing on June 2, 2025. (Photo: Alberta Wildfire) Forsythe said conditions remained very dry in the boreal forest from the Edson area up to the Northwest Territories. Areas that did see rain were also starting to dry out, which he said could see a resurgence of fire activity. 'If a new start grabs hold, it can spread pretty quickly,' Forsyth said, pointing to a fire that started Monday night near Highway 25 north of Manning and grew to 1,065 hectares by noon. Fire bans remained in effect in the High Level, Fort McMurray, Peace River, Grande Prairie, Slave Lake, Lac la Biche, Whitecourt and Edson forest areas. Other wildfires of note In addition to the Red Earth fire complex, Forsythe said the Swan fire complex and the Sousa Creek fire had been designated priority fires by the province. The Sousa Creek wildfire is burning out of control over 32,935 hectares between the towns of Rainbow Lake and High Level, along both sides of Highway 58. Evacuation orders were issued for Chateh, Loon Lake, Peerless Lake and Trout Lake. The Swan fire complex is made up of two fires: the Edith Lake wildfire burning over 17,148 hectares north of Swan Hills and the Hubert Lake wildfire burning over 2,855 hectares west of Fawcett. Evacuation orders remained in place for Swan Hills in Westlock county for residents of the provincial park area of the west side of the Pembina river. As of Monday, the province reported about 4,625 Albertans had been forced to leave home due to fires. Others remained at home on alert. For all active evacuation orders and emergency alerts, visit the Alberta Emergency Alert website.
