Category Archives: Forest Fires

A large wildfire has impacted thousands in the Cross Lake area, and led to the evacuation of a northern Manitoba community. Chief and council of Pimicikamak Cree Nation declared a state of emergency overnight as residents are threatened by a 1,200-hectare blaze — around the size of 2,300 football fields. Pimicikamak Chief David Monias told Global News that some community members are trying to find places to stay in Winnipeg, while others are waiting in Thompson and The Pas. Monias said the fire kept growing and getting too close for comfort. …Jason Small of the Canadian Red Cross told 680 CJOB’s Connecting Winnipeg the organization is trying to find hotel rooms for all of the evacuees — with around 200 people already temporarily housed as of early Thursday morning.

Additional coverage in the CBC News by Darren Bernhardt: Some residents already returning after raging wildfire forces 7,000 people to flee Pimicikamak Cree Nation

The number of wildfires in Alberta is about half of what it was two-and-a-half weeks ago when the provincial government declared a state of emergency.  On Thursday afternoon, Alberta Wildfire was counting 55 wildfires in protected forest areas, including 16 which were considered out of control. When the provincial state of emergency was announced on May 6, 110 wildfires were burning across Alberta, including 37 that were out of control. To date, Alberta Wildfire has recorded some 523 wildfires this year. Altogether, they have burned more than a million hectares of land. Recent wet and cooler weather has helped the firefighting effort, but officials said the season is far from over and additional help continues to arrive. A Hercules air tanker with the capacity to hold 11,350 litres of water from California was scheduled to arrive in Alberta on Wednesday. Twenty-five firefighters from New Zealand and 200 from Australia are also expected to arrive this week. 

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) says wildfires in the Peace region continue to show limited growth. There are two helicopters, 14 pieces of heavy equipment, and 28 structure protection personnel responding to the fires in the North Peace Complex, including the Stoddart Creek, Red Creek, Cameron River, and Boundary Lake wildfires. The Stoddart Creek wildfire is being held at 28,603 hectares. During the day, 157 firefighters have been working on the fire, while 19 are covering the night shift. According to BCWS, crews are working on mop-up and extinguishing hot spots in the fire’s northeast, east, and southeast flanks. In the northwest and the northeast, crews are patrolling the fire’s perimeter. …The air quality in Fort St. John is currently a low risk, and the special air quality statement was removed Wednesday morning. Evacuation orders in the region have been removed, while some alerts remain. 

Firefighters tackling Alberta’s rampant wildfires thanked the heavens for the precipitation seen over much of the province since the weekend. “Alberta is starting to see some cooler temperatures and scattered precipitation, helping to provide some relief to firefighters,” said Bre Hutchinson, executive director of the Alberta Emergency Management Agency during Tuesday’s daily provincial update on the wildfire situation. …Officials are reporting that progress is starting to be made during Alberta’s worst-ever wildfire season. “Due to the hard work of firefighters along with the weather, we have been able to reclassify the Sturgeon Lake Complex near Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation and Valleyview from ‘out of control’ to ‘being held’,” said Christie Tucker, information unit manager with Alberta Wildfire. Alberta is still under a provincial state of emergency, however. 

Additional coverage in the CBC News, by Stephen Cook: Firefighters make progress on Alberta wildfires as more evacuees return home

EDMONTON — Wildfire officials say more than 10,000 square kilometres of land has burned in Alberta this year as dozens of wildfires continue across the province. Christie Tucker of Alberta Wildfire says the province has never seen this much wildfire activity in recorded history. Tucker says that in 1984, there was a record of 13,000 square kilometres burned over the entire fire season, which usually lasts from the beginning of March to the end of October. Scattered showers over the last week have given firefighters headway in battling the flames. There are 71 wildfires burning in Alberta, 20 of which are deemed out of control, and about 10,000 people are out of their homes in various communities. Bre Hutchinson, executive director of the Alberta Emergency Management Agency, says the wildfire situation remains serious and all Albertans should remain vigilant, especially those who live in areas that under an evacuation alert.

Additional coverage in CBC: More than one million hectares of land in Alberta has burned

As fires blaze in Alberta, Saskatchewan and B.C., new research has drawn a direct and measurable link between carbon emissions traced back to the world’s major fossil fuel producers and the increase in extreme wildfires across western Canada and the United States.  The peer-reviewed study, published last week in the journal Environmental Research Letters, found that 37 per cent of the total burned forest area in Western Canada and the United States between 1986-2021 can be traced back to 88 major fossil fuel producers and cement manufacturers.  “What we found is that the emissions from these companies have dramatically increased wildfire activity,” said Carly Phillips, co-author on the study and a researcher at the Science Hub for Climate Litigation at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

…As of Tuesday afternoon, 74 wildfires were burning across the province. In Alberta’s forest protection zones, there were 71 wildfires — about 10 fewer than listed on Monday. Of these, 20 are still considered out of control.  At a news conference, Alberta Wildfire information unit manager Christie Tucker said cooler temperatures and continued rain showers have dampened wildfire behaviour.  “Many of the major wildfires burning received some rain, which means these are good days for firefighters to make real progress on containing these fires.”  But Tucker indicated that the province must be prepared for a longer engagement.  “Even though we have made headway on many wildfires on the landscape, we know that the season is far from over.”  ….This is now the second-worst wildfire season — which runs until October — on record, Tucker said. The previous record was set in 1981, when 1.3 million hectares burned.

Rain and thunderstorms in the forecast are expected to bring some relief to wildfires burning in central Alberta in the coming days. Warnings and watches for rainfall or thunderstorms covered much of the west and middle of the province by Sunday afternoon, including areas with some of the largest wildfires burning out of control. Environment Canada warned of a “long episode of rain, at times, heavy” and between 50 to 75 millimetres by Wednesday for a number of places including Edson, Whitecourt, Fox Creek, Slave Lake and Rocky Mountain House areas. Showers were expected to develop Sunday evening, intensify overnight, and continue into the middle of the week, potentially enough to cause flash floods and water pooling on the roads. …Christie Tucker, information unit manager for Alberta Wildfire, said rain and cooler temperatures Monday could help firefighters working in the middle of the province. 

Additional coverage in the CBC News by Mrinali Anchan: Smoke offers some relief for Alberta firefighters in wildfire battle

A new out-of-control wildfire in British Columbia’s Interior has sparked an evacuation order for a handful of properties near Quesnel, about 600 kilometres north of Vancouver.   The Cariboo Regional District says the Tzenzaicut Lake wildfire, discovered on Saturday, has become enough of a threat that an evacuation order has been issued for an area west of Highway 97.  Gerald Pinchbeck, the information officer for the regional district, told CBC News the order covers three properties in the area.  “If and when the conditions do change, if the fire continues to exhibit aggressive behaviour, we would look at issuing [more] evacuation orders … as necessary,” he said.  …According to the B.C. Wildfire Service, the Tzenzaicut blaze remains relatively small at about one square kilometre but has doubled in size since Saturday evening, and fire crews say the blaze was likely ignited by a lightning strike or other natural means.

Enough rain to prompt a warning is expected in the next few days across Alberta’s foothills and to the north of Edmonton. It’s perhaps not enough to put out wildfires completely, but may help firefighters catch their breath… “This could be a turning point for the firefighters working out there on the fires,” Christie Tucker of Alberta Wildfire said during Monday’s daily fire update. Environment Canada said 50 to 75 mm of rain is expected between Monday and Wednesday. …Rain showers will continue with rainfall intensifying Monday afternoon, the national weather agency said, adding widespread heavy rain will continue until the middle of the week. …Alberta Wildfire is hoping for long steady rain that will soak into the ground, rather than short bursts that will bring lightning that could start a new wildfire. …Lightning strikes have already been detected in the Edson and Grande Prairie areas, Tucker said on the weekend.

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The Stoddart Creek wildfire has grown by 500 hectares in the past 24 hours to approximately 22,067 hectares. According to the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS), 121 firefighters are responding to the Stoddart Creek wildfire during the day,  and 48 are responding overnight. On Wednesday, crews completed a 300-hectare planned ignition operation to remove unburned fuels south of The Shepherd’s Inn off Highway 97. BCWS says the ignition secured the area, which had previously been inaccessible and was threatening infrastructure. Now crews can work on the fire’s edge from the road. On Thursday, crews will continue to utilize planned ignition operations where required as conditions allow.

Hannah Swift

Crews battling a 215-square-kilometre wildfire near Fort St. John in northeastern British Columbia got some unexpected help in the fight. An information officer with the B.C. Wildfire Service says the amount of smoke in the area was enough to provide a buffer from the sun’s heat, which had been expected to cause problems for crews at the Stoddart Creek blaze and others nearby. Hannah Swift said there was enough of a break in the smoke to allow crews to launch helicopters to fight the fire about 25 kilometres from Fort St. John. She said the blaze is not believed to have grown substantially in the last 24 hours. …The forecast suggests possible rain over the weekend, although Swift said there’s also the potential for thunderstorms, which could bring lightning.

An out-of-control wildfire that destroyed 20 homes in a northern Alberta Indigenous community has burned its way into Wood Buffalo National Park. The Paskwa Fire has burned 60,955 hectares of land so far. It is now about a kilometre into the park’s boundary on the southwest side. Ninety-five firefighters, eight helicopters and heavy equipment are all working to contain the fire, Alberta Wildfire said. The province also has air tankers available to drop water on the fire if it’s needed. Though the fire is still some distance from the N.W.T. border, N.W.T. Fire said Wednesday evening that crews were working to protect “values at risk” in the park. …Meanwhile, Alberta Wildfire said shifting winds are expected to bring smoke rolling through Garden River. The community is on an evacuation alert.

ALBERTA — Drayton Valley Mayor Nancy Dodds said it was emotional to return home nearly two weeks after an out-of-control wildfire forced residents to flee, but thousands elsewhere remain on edge as scores of fires continue to rage across much of the West. Fire Chief Tom Thomson said while the fire risk has eased significantly, people should take precautions. “There are still extremely hazardous areas out in the county area. We call it the burn area or the black area. There are concerns about falling trees, there are concerns about ash pits,” he said. More than 11,900 people in Alberta remain forced from their homes. Ninety-one active wildfires were burning in the province, with 27 listed as out of control as of Wednesday afternoon. …Hotter and drier temperatures are in the forecast and there’s a fire ban for nearly the entire province. There were also 25 active wildfires in Saskatchewan as of Wednesday afternoon.

Alberta’s unprecedented wildfire crisis threatens to drag on through the summer months. As of Wednesday afternoon, 91 wildfires are burning inside Alberta’s forest protection areas, and 27 are classified as out of control, Alberta Wildfire information unit manager Christie Tucker said. Firefighters are bracing for a long, gruelling season, and Tucker said Alberta has enlisted the help of nearly 1,000 out-of-province firefighters from across Canada and the U.S. so far. …But Alberta Wildfire information officer Josee St-Onge said Wednesday that the number of fires means it will be “a long battle” to stop them. “Given the amount of fire we’re currently seeing on the landscape, it will be months before all these fires are brought under control, unless we get a significant shift in the weather that brings a lot of moisture,” she said. …Hot, dry and windy conditions are expected to continue throughout Western Canada, potentially creating more intense and unpredictable fires

FORT ST. JOHN, BC — Patrick Patterson quickly packed his suitcase after smoke settled over Fort St. John, a city that was placed under evacuation alert. …He said the last time the city of 21,000 experienced a wildfire threat to this magnitude was in 2016, when the Fort McMurray fire led to the evacuation of more than 90,000 people and destroyed 2,930 buildings. …He said the initial panic from Monday calmed by Tuesday, as winds died down and skies became clearer. However, the city remains under evacuation alert. The alert was trigged by the Stoddart Creek wildfire, which is an estimated 23,500 hectares as of Tuesday and suspected to be human-caused. As of Tuesday afternoon, there were 60 active fires in B.C., of which 15 are out of control. According to the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness, there were approximately 5,100 people across B.C. under an evacuation order as of Monday afternoon, and about 33,000 under an alert.

Hot and dry conditions have worsened wildfires throughout Western Canada, forcing thousands from their homes and leaving many regions under a layer of smoke. “Prayers are needed for rain,” Chief Wilfred Hooka-Nooza of Dene Tha First Nation in northwestern Alberta said Tuesday. Hundreds of people were forced earlier this week to flee Chateh, a community that is part of the First Nation, as a blaze approached. …An email was sent to all Government of Alberta employees Tuesday asking anyone with firefighting experience to volunteer. Sixty additional firefighters from Ontario also arrived in the province. …An evacuation order for Drayton Valley, where some people lost their homes as a wildfire tore through nearly two weeks ago, was partially lifted. …The weather has not been co-operative in battling blazes in northern British Columbia, and officials there said an ongoing heat wave is increasing the fire risk further south.

The Alberta government is asking its public employees to volunteer to help the firefighting effort as wildfires displace thousands across the province. Public service commissioner Tim Grant put out a call for employees who may have previous firefighting experience or training on Tuesday. Grant also put a call out for employees who may have experience in wildfire support roles or have served as part of an incident management team in the memo. …“We are grateful for all the Alberta public service staff who have been working tirelessly to keep Albertans safe.” Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen told reporters at a wildfire update on Tuesday that the province needs all the help it can get to fight the widespread wildfires. We’re pulling out all the stops that we can to try to get as many experienced people on the front lines as we can,” Loewen said.

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Hundreds of firefighters are taking advantage of a weather break to prepare for a potential worsening of conditions near the wildfire-threatened city of Fort St. John in northeastern British Columbia, as the community of 21,000 remains on evacuation alert. Hannah Swift, an information officer with the BC Wildfire Service, said 400 fire personnel, 22 pieces of heavy equipment and 22 helicopters were in the vicinity of four blazes close to the city. “We have more resources arriving by the hour,” she told a news briefing. She said a break in the weather, in which winds dropped and shifted direction, had been “a bit of a reprieve” for Fort St. John and crews had used the opportunity to reassess and position themselves ahead of a warm front. …The BC Wildfire Services said parts of British Columbia are already in the midst of their “core fire season,” months ahead of schedule.

Additional coverage in CBC News: Fort St. John residents watch and wait as wildfires burn near city

British Columbia wildfire officials say the intense and early wildfire onset is posing a “significant and extreme fire” risk in the north that will likely intensify across the south of the province in the coming days. Starting Thursday, a provincewide open-burning ban will begin, and a campfire ban will apply to the Prince George Fire Region, the B.C. Wildfire Service announced Tuesday. …As the high-pressure ridge moves and pushes higher temperatures further south, the risk will increase across the southwest coast and in the southeast. “I wouldn’t be surprised if alerts and orders shift out of the north and into the rest of the province,” said Chapman. Forests Minister Bruce Ralston recognized the challenges of evacuation orders and urged British Columbians to follow the fire bans and to be careful on the upcoming May long weekend.

As temperatures remain high and conditions dry heading into the May long weekend, a provincial fire ban has been put in place for large parts of northern Saskatchewan. Citing the “hot, dry conditions and an extreme fire risk that covers most of northern Saskatchewan,” the provincial government announced that the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency had issued a provincial fire ban, effective immediately, for Crown lands, provincial parks and the Northern Saskatchewan Administration District. “While many people are looking forward to the long weekend, the decision to implement a fire ban is necessary in order to protect lives, communities, major infrastructure and resources from wildfire,” SPSA president and fire commissioner Marlo Pritchard said in a statement. …A convoy of vehicles was allowed to leave a northern Saskatchewan village early Tuesday morning after Buffalo Narrows issued a mandatory evacuation order. The village had issued a state of emergency on Monday.

Additional coverage in CTV News Saskatoon, by Josh Lynn: ‘This is a big fire’: Raging Sask. wildfire forces further evacuations

Minister of Forests Bruce Ralston and BCWS’s Cliff Chapman provide an update on the wildfire outlook for B.C.

LAKELAND, Alberta – Going into a forecasted week of above seasonal temperatures, local and provincial fire officials are urging extreme caution in extremely hazardous conditions. Along with the provincial fire ban, officials are urging area residents to use extreme caution when it comes to the dry grasslands and forests of the region. In and around Lac La Biche County, several wildfires continue to burn, with crews reporting them as either being held or under control. Two fires in the Beaver Lake Cree Nation are still listed as under control. …Across the Lac La Biche Forest Protection Area that covers the Lakeland area and north into the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, one new fire in the northern part of the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range has already scorched 380 hectares and is classified as out of control. 

Advancing wildfires in northeastern B.C. have more than 20,000 people prepared to leave their homes at a moment’s notice. The entire municipality of Fort St. John has been placed on evacuation alert due to advancing wildfires in the area. An alert means that people do not need to leave their homes but should be prepared to do so at a moment’s notice. The alert was issued at 2:30 p.m. Pacific due to the Stoddart Creek Wildfire, which is classified as out of control and is estimated to cover 180 square kilometres (18,000 hectares) as of noon Monday. It is one of two large fires burning northwest of Fort St. John, along with the Red Creek fire. Highway 97 has also been closed 27 kilometres north of the city due to the blaze, with fire information officer Hannah Swift saying that the Stoddart Creek fire is burning on either side of the road.

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – The Blueberry River First Nation has issued an evacuation order due to the Stoddart Creek fire. The order was issued late Sunday, and members of the First Nation should head to the North Peace Arena in Fort St. John. From there, emergency support services will provide support to the evacuees. The Blueberry River First Nation joins the Peace River Regional District (PRRD) in issuing an evacuation order. The PRRD also issued an evacuation alert due to the fire. The Stoddart Creek fire started Saturday and grew to over 3,000 hectares. The fire started near Mile 70 of the Alaska Highway and grew moved closer to Blueberry River First Nation on Sunday. The B.C. Wildfire service will secure structures in the community and set up a sprinkler system. The First Nation is also asking anyone in the community to remove debris such as lawn chairs, tables, tents etc. 

With a heatwave continuing to scorch most of B.C. more wildfires continue to pop up in the province with one of the latest just west of Whistler. Discovered on Saturday, the Shovelnose Creek wildfire is listed as out of control and burning at roughly 17 hectares in size, according to the BC Wildfire Service. The fire is located approximately 20 kilometres down the Squamish Valley Forest Service Road. Julia Caranci, a fire information officer with the Coastal Fire Centre, says the fire’s location in steep and very rugged terrain is posing a challenge for crews. “Fifteen firefighters and two helicopters are working on that fire today and will continue to work on it throughout the day,” she said. “No critical infrastructure or homes are currently at risk. …we ask the public to use caution if travelling through those or any areas where there may be active wildfires burning.”

Northeastern B.C. continues to see large wildfires burn out of control, as unusually hot weather challenges firefighters. Dozens of people remained out of their homes Sunday in areas around Fort St. John, B.C., due to evacuation orders and alerts associated with the Red Creek fire, which has now been burning for more than a week. A newly discovered blaze named the Stoddart Creek fire, just north of Red Creek, has prompted a door-to-door evacuation operation due to the safety risks associated with that fire, while other properties are on an evacuation alert. The Stoddart Creek wildfire was discovered around 3 p.m. PT Saturday, and is burning over an area of 12.3 square kilometres. The Peace River Regional District says 136 homes have been placed on evacuation order as of Sunday afternoon. …”It’s May and so it feels early, but we’re seeing July conditions out there,” said Hannah Swift, a fire information officer.

Nearly 20,000 Albertans have been evacuated from their homes as wildfires continue to rage across the province with hot, dry conditions in the forecast for the foreseeable future. Provincial officials said the total number of evacuees has risen to 19,342 Sunday, up from 16,520 the Saturday. The additional 2,800 evacuees came from three new areas now under evacuation order, including Rainbow Lake, parts of Leduc County and Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation. “We are all doing all we can to protect communities at risk, but Albertans need to remain vigilant and closely follow updates on their current wildfire situation,” said Alberta Emergency Management Agency executive director Colin Blair. Hot, dry conditions have led to what officials are calling an “unprecedented” early fire season in Alberta. Alberta remains under a state of emergency with 19 additional states of local emergency, five band council resolutions and 14 evacuation orders in place Sunday, up from 10 on Saturday.

Additional coverage in the Globe and Mail (for subscribers only): Thousands more evacuated in Northern Alberta as wildfires rage

It’s been two weeks since out-of-control wildfires began forcing evacuation orders in parts of Alberta and the situation remains critical “The wildfire situation is extremely volatile,” said Colin Blair with the Alberta Emergency Management Agency on Sunday afternoon. “Our crews have had the opportunity to build fire guards and… for the vast majority, those are holding,” said Josee St-Onge with Alberta Wildfire. …So far this year, there have been 451 wildfires in Alberta, burning 521,000 hectares. …There are 1,500 Alberta wildland firefighters battling the various blazes and 800 people from other agencies across North America helping in the fight, including 200 wildland firefighters from the U.S. and 300 members of the Canadian Armed Forces. The fire danger was considered extreme again Sunday, St-Onge said, adding that the peak risk is still ahead. “The heat event that we’re seeing in the province is starting to impact the south as well …and wildfire danger is rising.”