Category Archives: Forest Fires

Life as residents know it in the province’s South Cariboo Region has returned to a relative state of calm. The spring season is bringing with it new crops and animals for farmers — but also fresh fears of what’s poised to be another hot, dry, and potentially destructive summer. …Regional District officials are also urging property owners to be proactive when it comes to preventing future fire damage, while investing half a million dollars in doing the same. That money will fund initiatives including implementing strategic fire breaks and the clearcutting of areas already charred by flames. “Remember where you are, be respectful of where you are, and just take a little extra care,” Al Richmond with the Cariboo Regional District urged residents in light of the region’s recent dry conditions.

THUNDER BAY – As several large forest fires continue to burn in Northern Alberta, fire crews from across the region will be lending a hand as the fire hazard throughout most Northern Ontario remains low. Approximately 60 Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry firefighters and 19 incident management personnel from fire bases across Northern Ontario… are flying to Edmonton on Friday. “We don’t know a lot about what we are going to or what we are getting into, we just know we are going out to help,” said Gary Harland, fire management supervisor with the MNRF in Thunder Bay… There are several large forest fires burning out of control in Northern Alberta, including a 92,000-hectare blaze south of High Level, which has forced more than 1,000 people to evacuate. According to Len Sedore with the MNRF and local president of Ontario Public Service Employees Union Local 623, fire crews will be based out of Edmonton.

HIGH LEVEL, Alta. — A government update says a lighter wind out of the northeast is allowing firefighters to make progress in reining in a wildfire that’s forced thousands of people from their homes in northern Alberta. Authorities say the Chuckegg Creek fire remains out of control and there’s still heavy smoke as it churns about three kilometres south of High Level, but favourable weather on Tuesday allowed crews to protect power poles west and south of the community. “Due to current conditions and resources the fire has not reached the town of High Level,” said the update Wednesday morning. “The main area of spread remains away from town.”

It’s pretty easy not to start a forest fire. Regardless, most wildfires in BC during April and May 2019 were suspected to be caused by humans. Climate change is certainly a factor in recent years, and it will continue to be. Unusually dry conditions have caught people off guard, and their fires grew out of control. These conditions are the new normal. Naturally occurring forest fires will of course continue, as they rightfully should, but in our changing climate, people who set fires need to be more careful. …If you go and visit BC Wildfire Service online and open the interactive map, you’ll see that an overwhelming majority of the fires are caused by humans. …One of the biggest things the government says it can do better is build relationships with communities to educate people on fire risks, and better fire behaviour.

Alberta has had roughly the same number of wildfires so far this year compared with its five-year average, but they have chewed through far more territory than usual as hot, dry weather increases the risk for much of the province. This year’s fires have spared Alberta the chaos and destruction of the Fort McMurray blaze in 2016, but one wildfire is nipping at a number of northern communities. That wildfire, known as the Chuckegg Creek fire, is about three kilometres out of High Level, whose residents were among about 5,000 people forced to flee over the weekend. …There have been 453 wildfires in Alberta in 2019, just below the five-year average of 459. However, this year’s fires have burned down about 134,730 hectares, about 24 per cent more than the five-year average of roughly 108,800 hectares… Alberta’s lightning fire season is just starting, which puts the province at risk of many more fires if it does not rain soon.

The BC Wildfire Service is sending 267 personnel to Alberta to help with firefighting efforts due to an increasing wildfire threat in that province. A total of 267 B.C. personnel will be deployed on Wednesday, May 22, and Thursday, May 23, 2019, to help where needed throughout Alberta: two hundred and thirty firefighters (consisting of 10 initial attack crews and 10 unit crews), three agency representatives, a 19-person incident management team, fourteen supervisors. The request for assistance was made through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, which co-ordinates the mutual sharing of firefighting resources between B.C. and other jurisdictions. All associated costs are covered by the jurisdiction that requested the resources.

The “mayhem” of the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire provided valuable lessons being deployed in the fight against the blaze threatening High Level, officials say. Bruce Mayer, assistant deputy minister in the forestry department, said Tuesday morning those lessons include improved long-term weather trends and co-operative relationships between the province, industry and municipalities. But the biggest change was around unified command. “My senior staff are lockstep with municipal senior staff, and they will make one plan as opposed to siloed plans,” Mayer said. That will include how to fight the blaze and protect structures in the danger zone, and how people will be evacuated. “The municipalities are evacuating people before there was any mayhem happening similar to what happened in Fort McMurray,” he said. “For us it’s a huge learning (curve), and I think we’re going to be successful.”

Tyler Warman

SLAVE LAKE — Blackened trees sticking out among the new, green growth mark the route into Slave Lake along Highway 2, dark monuments of the catastrophic wildfire that sent 7,000 residents scrambling from this northern town in a frantic evacuation eight years ago. On Tuesday, with dangerous, tinder dry conditions again fuelling multiple wildfires in the north, Slave Lake transformed into a key hub for High Level evacuees forced Monday from their homes nearly 500 kilometres away. The dislocated residents filled an estimated 200 hotel rooms, set up in camping areas and found spots with family and friends. As of late Tuesday afternoon, Slave Lake officials were working with neighbours from the Town of High Prairie 100 kilometres to the west to find more beds. These are moments that stir memories for the Slave Lake volunteers. They also inspire “overwhelming support,” Slave Lake Mayor Tyler Warman said during one of two media updates Tuesday.

An out-of-control wildfire burning Tuesday near a town in northwestern Alberta is rated at the highest possible danger level, and the dry, windy weather means the danger is expected to increase this week, says Alberta Premier Jason Kenney. “The fire is jumping from crown to crown of trees,” Kenney said at a news conference Tuesday. “Unfortunately, the dry conditions in northern Alberta are expected to continue for the foreseeable future, with the fire danger possibly increasing this week.” The fire near the town of High Level is ranked as a Level 6, the top of the wildfire intensity scale. Increased fire danger is common during the spring because of the abundance of dry, flammable materials in the period between the snow melt and the green-up of the landscape.

Residents of a northern Alberta town are being told to be ready to evacuate at any time as an out-of-control wildfire, fanned by strong winds and dry conditions, continues to grow. The Town of High Level announced Monday that residents should fill their gas tanks, gather important documents and prepare food and water in case an evacuation order is issued. The town also says fire crews will be setting up sprinklers in various places. The province’s wildfire information centre says the Chuckegg Creek fire has grown to approximately 69,000 hectares in size and is now just five kilometres south of High Level. On Sunday, the blaze was about 25 kilometres away and officials estimated it at about 25,000 hectares. It says that the town, which has over 3,000 residents, isn’t in immediate danger but that residents should be vigilant as the situation could change rapidly.

TORONTO – Norbord Inc. today reported that its OSB mill in High Level, Alberta has temporarily suspended production due to the wild fires burning nearby in the region and in order to comply with evacuation orders in the town of High Level. All non-essential mill employees have been safely evacuated and no injuries have been reported. At this time, Norbord is assessing the impact to its production schedule. The mill was secure at the time of evacuation. The High Level, Alberta mill has a stated annual production capacity of 860 million square feet (3/8-inch basis) and has been ramping up toward full production since resuming operations in late 2013. High Level is located approximately 720 kilometres northwest of Edmonton and 400 kilometres west of Fort McMurray. [End]

EDMONTON — This year’s fire season forecast is normal across the country for the month of May, but the hazard is expected to increase for much of Western Canada this summer. Natural Resources Canada’s Northern Forestry Centre in Edmonton, one of five research centres with the Canadian Forest Service, provided the update on Wednesday. “For the month of May, we are showing normal or below-normal levels of expected fire severity through the entire country,” said Richard Carr, a wildland fire research analyst. “However, through the summer beginning in June and extending through August, we’re seeing the western-most regions — British Columbia, Yukon, western Alberta — that have increased risk of fire severity and therefore the possibility of more fires.” 

A stretch of cool rainy weather in mid-May has allowed the Coastal Fire Centre to drop the wildfire danger rating to low for the Sunshine Coast, but the season has already gotten off to a busier start than last year. As of May 15 there had been 27 wildfires in the Coastal Fire Centre, including two on the Sunshine Coast, and all were person caused. By the same time last season there had been 13 fires in the Coastal zone. A stretch of cool rainy weather in mid-May has allowed the Coastal Fire Centre to drop the wildfire danger rating to low for the Sunshine Coast, but the season has already gotten off to a busier start than last year. 

Residents of High Level, Alta., were ordered to evacuate their homes on Monday as the largest of several wildfires in the province bore down on the small northern community. The out-of-control fire in the northwestern corner of Alberta expanded through the long weekend to cover 690 square kilometres, blocking two highways and burning as close as three kilometres to High Level, a town of about 3,100 people. …“People are, of course, afraid, because they remember the wildfires of Fort McMurray,” Crystal McAteer, High Level’s mayor, told reporters. “But we talked to a lot of the residents and reaffirmed that we were being pro-active. I’m very optimistic with the resources that we’ve got here, the good intelligence that we’re getting and our fire chief, who has been excellent with his crew.” …Officials said the fire was moving in a northwesterly direction and should spare the town, but the evacuation was ordered as a precaution. [Full story only available to Globe and Mail subscribers]

…The early start to this year’s wildfire season could be a harbinger of another challenging summer for the province. The devastating fires in the summer of 2017 were unprecedented in scale and cost. …Then, last summer, things got worse. For the second year in a row, a state of emergency was declared, as wildfires blazed in almost all regions of the province. A new record was set – 1,354,284 hectares of land were consumed by fire. “People realize this may be the new norm,” said Fraser Lake Mayor Sarrah Storey, whose community in central B.C. faced evacuations last weekend because of the Lejac fire. …“You can never be prepared for this, you hope for the best each day,” Ms. Storey said. “But we have to make sure we are focused on preparing the community.” What is different this year is that B.C. is mobilizing its wildfire-fighting teams earlier.

Members of a tiny First Nation in northwest B.C. remain scattered across the province in hotels and relatives’ homes after fleeing destructive wildfires this summer. It will take months to clean up the damage in Tahltan First Nation territory in Telegraph Creek, which was devastated by four wildfires that merged into one 1,180-square-kilometre blaze in August, said Chief Rick McLean. Crews must clear debris and burnt-out houses, ensure the water is drinkable, restore police and health services and even restock store shelves, he said. Rebuilding 21 destroyed homes can’t even begin until spring, when the ground isn’t frozen. “It’s mixed emotions,” McLean said. “Some people are happy they got out and have their safety and lives. Other people are taking it a little bit harder after losing all their stuff, everything.”

NORTHERN VANCOUVER ISLAND, B.C. – Even with fall officially upon us, the wildfire situation is still lingering across Northern Vancouver Island. All told, 47 wildfires are currently burning north of Gold River. “Given the number of fires and the size that some of them go to this summer, that’s not unusual for this time of the year,” Coastal Fire Centre information officer Natasha Broznitsky said. All of the fires are considered under control, meaning they aren’t expected to spread beyond their current boundaries. The focus now is to demobilize, as well as removing firefighting gear off the wildfires, and, through the creating an action plan, to rehabilitate areas impacted by wildfires. The amount of rain in the region has also helped lower the fire behaviour in the region.

If smoke and flames weren’t bad enough, sometimes firefighters battling blazes in the bush are forced deal with fire tornadoes. Fire tornadoes, or fire wirls, are formed when strong winds come into contact with raging forest fires. The updrafts of air catch fire and the swirl sucks in ash and debris. B.C. firefighters battling a blaze near Vanderhoof recently had to contend with a fire tornado that pulled their hose 100 feet in the air. “Fire tornado destroyed our line. It threw burning logs across our guard for 45 minutes and pulled our hose 100 plus ft in the air before melting it. That’s definitely a first,” wrote Mary Schidlowsky on her Instagram post.