Update 12: Alberta wildfire information update (July 16, 3:30 p.m.)

by ahnationtalk on July 17, 202443 Views

Hot, dry weather across Alberta will likely lead to increased wildfire activity in the Forest Protection Area this week. Albertans must follow all fire bans and restrictions to avoid new fire starts.

Alberta Emergency Alerts

As of July 16, at 2 p.m., there are no new emergency alerts.
Little Red River Cree Nation’s State of Local Emergency, declared via Band Council Resolution on July 10, remains in effect.
- The response continues to be led by Little Red River Cree Nation with Alberta Emergency Management Agency First Nations field officers providing support.
Albertans are encouraged to download the Alberta Emergency Alert mobile app, which immediately pushes all alerts out to subscribers.

Current situation

Little Red River Cree Nation remains under a state of local emergency, declared via Band Council Resolution.
An evacuation order remains in effect for the Garden River community.
Semo Complex Fire (HWF061) is classified as out of control at 44,000 hectares in size, and it is still approximately 9 kilometres from Highway 58 and 30 kilometres northwest of Garden River.
More than 200 firefighters and support staff, 11 helicopters, and 43 pieces of heavy equipment are actively responding to the Semo Complex wildfires.
Personnel and aircraft have been imported from other jurisdictions through mutual aid agreements to support incident management and fire suppression efforts across northern Alberta.
Since January 1, there have been 801 wildfires recorded in the Forest Protection Area that have burned more than 279,000 hectares.
Of these wildfires, 25 are classified as out of control, 30 are being held, 36 are under control, 2 have been turned over and 708 have been extinguished.
While lightning is a major cause of wildfires at this time of year, extra caution is urged to prevent any additional fire starts that will add to the already extreme wildfire situation.
As of July 15, there are four wildfires of note in the Forest Protection Area. Information on these wildfires can be found by visiting the Alberta Wildfire Status Dashboard.

Fire bans

A fire ban is in place for the entire Forest Protection Area of Alberta.
Cities, towns, villages and summer villages, as well as federal lands, such as national parks, are exempt from this ban.
These jurisdictions have the authority to issue their own bans and may have complementary bans in place.
Albertans should visit the website or social media for their local municipality to confirm if a fire ban is in effect in their area.
For information on activities prohibited under this ban, visit alberta.ca/fire-bans.

Support for evacuees

Residents of Little Red River Cree Nation, Garden River community have been on an evacuation order since July 10, declared via Band Council Resolution and are now eligible for emergency evacuation payments.
Applications open July 17.
Residents are encouraged to apply online at evacuationpayment.alberta.ca/. Residents who have left the area can access any local Alberta Supports office from 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for assistance applying for an emergency evacuation payment. Alberta Supports office locations are available at alberta.ca/alberta-supports.
In-person applications will be also accepted from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in High Level at the Best Western Hotel (9616 AB-58) and at John D’Or Prairie School on July 17 and 18.
Evacuees are officially eligible for evacuation payments, but applications don’t open until tomorrow.

Roads and highways

There are currently no highway closures.
Visit 511.alberta.ca for up-to-date information on road closures and travel advisories.

Health care

There are currently no hospital closures.

Education

There are currently no school closures.

Emergency Preparedness

Get ready for emergencies and disasters by taking simple steps now. To be prepared, Albertans need to know what to do, where to go and have enough supplies for a week or more. Supplies include food, water, medications and important documents. Include supplies for pets as well.
Read more about emergency preparedness.

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