Wildfires in western, northern Alberta trigger air quality warnings for some regions
Parts of central Alberta, particularly the greater Edmonton area, are also expected to experience poor air this weekend, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada's (ECCC) air quality health index, which measures how safe the air is to breathe.
The Alberta Wildfire dashboard shows several out-of-control fires around the Alberta-B.C. border, including one that forced the County of Grande Prairie in western Alberta to expand an existing evacuation order Friday evening.
The Sousa Creek fire in the High Level Forest Area is still out of control, spanning nearly 39,600 hectares as of 8 a.m. MT Saturday, the dashboard shows. The flames are burning just south of Chateh, Alta., about 660 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, and forced Dene Tha' First Nation to evacuate people living there on May 29.
The ECCC air quality warnings say wildfire smoke is causing poor air quality and reduced visibility in those regions.
The agency advises people in those places to limit their time outdoors, including rescheduling or cancelling outdoor sports or events.
The greater Edmonton area, including places like Fort Saskatchewan and Drayton Valley, are expected to experience high risk air quality throughout the weekend, the ECCC air quality health index shows.
Red Deer, Alta., a city about 140 kilometres south of Edmonton, could see moderate risk air Saturday, which worsens Sunday, the index shows.
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CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
Rainfall, drop in heat will hopefully lead to a 'good day', says fire duty officer
Evacuation advisory expands Wednesday evening for cabin owners near the Martin Lake fire. The evacuation area now includes the Paradise Lake area, in addition to the previously-issued advisories for the Martin Lake, Great Rattling Brook and Rushy Pond areas and access roads. The forestry department advises all cabin owners to leave immediately. Off-road vehicle ban implemented Aug. 13 for forested areas in N.L. Ban to remain in place until at least Aug. 17. E vacuation order in place for Three Island Pond area of Paradise. Evacuees are advised to travel north to Topsail Road. Anyone needing accommodations should travel to Admiral's Academy in Kelligrews. An evacuation alert is in place for parts of Paradise and C.B.S., as well as the Southlands and Galway neighbourhoods of St. John's. Regional state of emergency issued for parts of Conception Bay South, St. John's, and Conception Bay North. Bay d'Espoir Highway remains closed between Sunday Pond Resource Road to the Cat Brook turnaround Martin Lake fire is 800 hectares. 2 kilometres of fire guard constructed on Kingston fire. Heavy capacity helicopter arrived on Wednesday. Cooler weather, rainfall in forecast expected to help. Rainfall in the forecast paired with cooling temperatures and higher relative humidity in the air has Newfoundland and Labrador's provincial fire duty officer hopeful the fight against out of control wildfires will take a positive turn. Mark Lawlor said incoming rain and break in hot temperatures "most certainly will" help firefighting efforts. He said high relative humidity on Thursday will also help firefighters on the ground as well as make fire suppression efforts from the air more effective. "Hopefully this will be a very good day," Lawlor told CBC Radio's The St. John's Morning Show. A heavy capacity helicopter that arrived in Gander on Wednesday is also a boon, he added, as it can carry 4,000 litres of water. The helicopter will be used this morning. Premier John Hogan will be giving a wildfire update at 10 a.m. NT. 'Very successful' Lawlor said the Paddy's Pond fire is still considered out of control but the fire didn't grow overnight. "Which is a good story. And hopefully with the higher relative humidity today we'll have a good day working on that fire," he said. The Paddy's Pond fire is now about 250 hectares in size and Wednesday's suppression efforts were "very successful." He added he hoped with aircraft and ground crews, they could continue to hold the fire throughout Thursday. Lawlor said he hadn't received a report on the Kingston fire but as of his late report, it was around 6,500 hectares. "We did see some extreme fire behaviour on the Kingston fire, on the northern section of that fire yesterday." He said on Wednesday crews were on ground on its southern boundary, adding they did "good work." A sprinkler line has also been set up around Perry's Pond in order to prevent possible back burning from the wind, said Lawlor. They have also constructed two kilometres of fire guard on the north side of the fire in case of any growth. He said the Holyrood fire is considered under control and they will continue to monitor the fire for the next few days. According to Department of Justice and Public Safety spokesperson Justin Humber 1,902 households and 3,590 individuals have registered with the Canadian Red Cross because of the wildfires as of Wednesday. Martin Lake On Wednesday evening the evacuation advisory expanded for cabin owners near the Martin Lake fire. The evacuation area now includes the Paradise Lake area, in addition to the previously-issued advisories for the Martin Lake, Great Rattling Brook and Rushy Pond areas and access roads. The forestry department advised all cabin owners to leave immediately. The Bay d'Espoir Highway between Sunday Pond Resource Road to the Cat Brook turnaround is closed. Lawlor said the Marin Lake fire in central Newfoundland didn't grow overnight but added on Wednesday it did double in size and moved north, across Great Rattling Brook. There was also some movement to the south. "Thankfully it didn't cross the Bay D'Espoir highway and we'll be back on that fire today with aircraft and ground crews," said Lawlor. Not a 'deluge' of rain Environment Canada has two weather alerts issued for the province — an air quality statement is in effect for the northern Avalon Peninsula and St. John's area, as well as a heat warning for most of the province. Meteorologist Robert Grove said the Avalon Peninsula is getting a cold front with showers late Friday afternoon and into the evening, with weekend temperatures dipping into the mid-teens. "A stark difference but I imagine a welcomed difference for many," he said, adding the drop in temperatures is good news for efforts to fight wildfires. "You don't have the hot temperatures and that takes part of their fuel source away." While the forecasted rainfall won't be a "deluge" Grove said it will be a "good amount of rain" on Friday night, possibly between five to 10 millimetres. "Obviously we need a lot more but it's a good start." He said the Avalon Peninsula will be cloudy but still warm. "Still not cool enough for sure for what most people are looking for at this point," He said the winds will be southerly, gusting from 30 kilometres per hour to 50 kilometres per hour and smoke from the Paddy's Pond fire will blow over to the Conception Bay South area. The Kingston fire's smoke will blow up the northern portion of the Bay de Verde area. On alert A regional state of emergency is still in effect for portions of the Bay de Verde Peninsula, Conception Bay South, Paradise and parts of St. John's known as Southlands and Galway. Evacuation orders are in effect for Small Point–Adam's Cove–Blackhead–Broad Cove, Kingston, Salmon Cove, Western Bay, Perry's Cove, Ochre Pit Cove, Burnt Point-Gull Island-Northern Bay, Paddy's Pond Industrial Area, as well as the Three Island Pond area in Paradise. Some communities are also on an evacuation alert, including Victoria, as well as parts of Conception Bay South, Paradise, and the neighbourhoods of Southlands and Galway in St. John's. Fire risk remains high The provincial fire hazard map still considers most of the island of Newfoundland at an extreme risk of fire, with portions of the west coast considered to be between very high and extremely high risk of fire. Labrador is considered to be between a moderate and an extreme risk of fire. On Wednesday Premier John Hogan announced an off-road vehicle ban, which includes ATVs, in forested areas where the fire index is between high and extreme. It will be in effect until Aug. 17. Impact to health services Some health care services continue to be negatively impacted by the wildfires. Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services announced on Wednesday some services at acute care facilities in St. John's would be postponed throughout the week by the wildfires, including urgent and emergent surgeries and non-urgent outpatient endoscopy procedures. "All services and appointments will continue to be assessed throughout the week and updates will be provided if needed," said the statement.
CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
'Get out, get out, get out': Paradise evacuee recounts rushed evacuation
Business owner Rod Coward said he was doing a delivery for his tent rental company when his cell phone chimed with an evacuation order. He lives in the Three Island Pond area of Paradise, N.L. which was ordered to evacuate on Tuesday due to the nearby Paddy's Pond wildfire. "I had to dump off the gear as fast as I can, and then beat it back so I could get all my animals, my dogs and cats," Coward told CBC News. He said the evacuation order didn't surprise him. With the Paddy's Pond wildfire burning nearby, Coward said he was monitoring the fire and winds closely. "In my business, you're watching the winds all the time, and I could see that the wind was going to veer around to my place. So I knew it was coming pretty quickly," he said. "You could see plumes of smoke bellowing for kilometres." But after experiencing an evacuation order, Coward now advises anyone on an evacuation alert to be prepared — because evacuations happen quickly. 'Only had time to grab what you pre-packed' When Coward arrived back at his home to quickly gather his pets and belongings, he said police were already knocking on doors to ensure everyone was leaving. He said the streets were also blocked off at all access points. "There was no, 'Well, I need you out in half an hour.' It's, 'Go get your dogs, go get your cat, and get out.' There was no timeline other than right now," Coward said. He said his bag was packed, but he had to leave some of his business equipment and keepsakes behind. "There's a few things there that, in hindsight, I really wish that I had grabbed. But when the police were literally at the door — they were saying, 'Get out, get out, get out' — you really only had time to grab what you pre-packed and prepared, and jump and run," he said. Evacuation alerts Meanwhile, some other parts of Paradise, as well as parts of Conception Bay South, and the St. John's neighbourhoods of Southlands and Galway are all on evacuation alerts due to the Paddy's Pond fire. The town of Victoria is also under an evacuation alert due to the Kingston wildfire. In Paradise, the area on the south side of Topsail Road from the Outer Ring Road exit to the C.B.S. boundary is on an evacuation alert. In Conception Bay South, all properties east of Manuels River are on an evacuation alert. The provincial government advises that people need to be prepared with a basic emergency kit, including items such as food, water, batteries, a portable radio, important documents and prescription medications.
CBC
7 hours ago
- CBC
'Explosive' growth of Mount Underwood wildfire near Port Alberni
The Mount Underwood wildfire, south of Port Alberni, has grown to more than 21 square kilometres. As Claire Palmer reports, people are taking precautions even as the wind is shifting away from the community.
