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Christie Tucker, Alberta Wildfire information manager, told reporters at Thursday’s weekly wildfire update that of the 44 wildfires burning in the forest protection area of Alberta, only one is now classified as out of control, five are being held and the rest are under control. The one out of control wildfire, classified as MWS017, is in Fort McMurray and did not grow overnight.
“It did move slightly to the northwest towards the Athabasca River but it remains 5.5 kilometres from Fort McMurray limits and 4.5 kilometres from the highway,” Tucker said.
“Today, winds from the east and rain showers are expected in that area throughout the day and it’ll give firefighters a chance to make further progress containing the fire.”
The fire size is now 19,820 hectares, which was slightly smaller than it was previously. Tucker said night vision equipped helicopters flew last night for 7.5 hours and were concentrating on tackling the hottest parts of the fire in the northeast and south.
Grande Prairie wildfire now classified as being held
The Kleskun Creek wildife, burning four kilometres east of the town of Teepee Creek in the County of Grande Prairie, is now classified as being held. The fire is 1,382 hectares in size.
In a news release by the County of Grande Prairie, officials said overnight precipitation helped keep the dust down and humidity high which created “favourable weather conditions.” Wednesday night’s drone operation identified fewer hot spots than Tuesday.
Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen said Albertans who have been evacuated from their homes for seven days or more can now begin applying for a one-time emergency evacuation payment. Eligible evacuees will receive $1,250 per adult, and an additional $500 per dependent child under 18.
Evacuees who were part of a formal evacuation order are eligible for the payment, however Albertans who voluntarily left their homes will not be eligible to apply.
Province hires 100 seasonal firefighters
Loewen said Thursday the province has hired 100 seasonal firefighters and have met their hiring targets for staffing levels for the 2024 wildfire season.
“A handful of firefighters will not begin work until next week, but all government firefighters were hired by our May 15th target,” he said.
As the long-weekend approaches the province is warning Albertans who are outdoors during the long-weekend to be aware of any fire bans and for those who are having camp fires to fully extinguishing the fire by soaking and stirring the coals, and to never leave a fire unattended.
“The northern part of the province is expected to stay drier and warmer, particularly in the northwest in the high level area as a precaution,” Tucker said.
“The May long weekend is traditionally a time when Albertans like to head out into the forest looking for camping or recreational activities as the weather warms up. It’s also the time when we see the most new wildfires start here in this province last year.”
In 2024 there has only been one wildfire confirmed as lighting caused and over 30,000 hectares of forests have been impacted which is an improvement from the 2023 season where Alberta had over 460,000 hectares burned by this time last year.
Edmonton Humane Society seeking pet donations for evacuees
The Edmonton Humane Society (EHS) is working with community partners to help people and pets who have been forced to evacuate Fort McMurray.
The shelter is accepting donations for pet supplies and can be dropped off at the humane society at 1360 163 St. NW between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.
In-demand items include pet carriers, food, bedding supplies and cat litter. The shelter is also accepting monetary donations which will go towards wildfire relief for people and pets affected.
“Our hearts go out to all of the people and animals affected by the terrible wildfires currently burning in Alberta, especially when memories are still fresh from the Fort McMurray wildfires in 2016,” said humane society CEO Liza Sunley.
