What's the current wildfire risk in various parts of Alberta?
While hot, dry conditions mean northern Alberta is tinder for the wildfire taking, some pockets around Alberta ranked particularly high Friday on the scale established as the Canadian Fire Weather Index (FWI) System, a widely used tool that provides a numerical rating of the potential fire intensity in forested areas.
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The scale gives firefighters a better picture of how likely a forest fire is to start, spread, and how intense it could be.
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SLAVE LAKE — EXTREME DANGER
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The wildfire danger was once again extreme in the Slave Lake Forest Area due to hot, dry, and windy conditions.
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Since Jan. 1 there have been 52 wildfires reported in the Slave Lake Forest Area resulting in a total burned area of 36.33 hectares.
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'Smoke may still be visible in the Buffalo Bay area, southwest of Grouard, due to a wildfire. Big Lakes Fire Services is monitoring the situation,' the notice reads.
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The wildfire that ripped through Slave Lake in May 2011 caused more than $700 million in damages, making it the second-costliest insured disaster in Canadian history to that point, surpassed only by the 1998 ice storm that hit Quebec and Ontario, which caused $1.8 billion in damages, the Insurance Bureau of Canada said at the time.
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LAC LA BICHE — EXTREME DANGER
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There were currently six active wildfires burning in the Lac La Biche forest area, where wildfire danger is classed as 'extreme.'
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Since Jan. 1 there have been 69 wildfires in the Lac La Biche Forest Area burning a total of 530 hectares.
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LWF060 was being held and crews are working towards extinguishment near the junction of Highway 55 and 866, southeast of Grandeur Lake.
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This wildfire was estimated at 47.9 hectares in size.
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The remainder of the active wildfires were considered under control Friday, and there were no threats to communities or structures at the time.
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Visit the wildfire status dashboard for additional information.
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A mutual-aid wildfire refers to a wildfire that occurs outside of the Forest Protection Area, typically within a municipal district or county. When such a wildfire grows beyond the capacity of local municipal firefighting resources, Alberta Wildfire may be called upon to provide assistance. In these cases, Alberta Wildfire supports the lead agency — the local municipality or county — in managing and containing the fire.
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CTV News
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Global News
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U.S. weather presenter's coverage of Canadian wildfires has intensified
Three American TV weather presenters say their viewers' appetite is soaring for information on the swaths of wildfire smoke drifting in from the Canadian Prairies. 'The smoke has really dominated our weather forecasting headlines,' says Jacob Morse, a meteorologist for KFYR-TV in Bismarck, N.D. Morse said North Dakota has been hazy all week due to smoke coming from Manitoba and Saskatchewan, where fires have been raging for more than two weeks, forcing more than 30,000 people from their homes. 'We've been talking about it constantly. We're educating viewers on where the fires are and then why the smoke comes here (and the) communities impacted,' he said. View image in full screen Jacob Morse, a meteorologist for KFYR-TV, a television station in Bismarck, N.D., that's affiliated with both NBC and Fox News Channel is seen in this undated handout photo. 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Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Bill Kardas, a chief meteorologist of WKTV in Utica, N.Y., says weather presenters across the U.S. have been ramping up their coverage of Canadian wildfire smoke since 2023. As Canadians dealt with their worst wildfire season that year, he said his state turned apocalyptically orange from the smoke. Story continues below advertisement View full screen View full screen View full screen View full screen View full screen View full screen View full screen View full screen View full screen View full screen View full screen View full screen View full screen View full screen View full screen Previous Image Next Image Close Modal Gallery Snitil said meteorologists in New York weren't prepared. 'Most people around here never experienced anything like the 2023 wildfire smoulder,' said Kardas, a weatherman of 20 years. 'There really wasn't a lot of knowledge as to what was generating this, why is this happening, is this normal, has this ever happened before.' Story continues below advertisement This year, Kardas said his viewers began to notice smoke in the air last week as blazes on the Canadian Prairies intensified. It has prevented many Americans from leaving their homes, he said. 'We're 2,000 miles away and we're feeling the effects of this,' he said. 'I can't imagine how horrible it must be to be dealing with it in proximity.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I can't imagine how horrible it must be to be dealing with it in proximity." 1:51 Doctors warn about short, long term impacts of poor air quality from wildfires Mike Flannigan is a professor in the University of Alberta's department of renewable resources and the director of the Western Partnership for Wildland Fire Science. He said there are two main reasons why Canadian smoke is making international headlines. First is that there is more smoke and wildfires to begin with, he said. Story continues below advertisement This year's fire season — the second worst since the 2023 wildfire season — has seen wildfires consume 3.7 million hectares, six times the area of Prince Edward Island. 'And there's probably more (smoke) than that because our fires today are burning more intensely and more deeply,' Flannigan said. Smoke from the flames this year has also crossed oceans and even been detected in Europe. He said people are paying attention to Canadian wildfires globally because they are more aware of the dangers of smoke as science has evolved. 'I'm a fire guy. We talk about good fire and bad fire. There's no such thing as good smoke. It's bad, bad, bad. And it's becoming more frequent,' Flannigan said. 'It affects IQ, it affects fetus development and of course, lungs. It's full of thousands of chemicals.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It affects IQ, it affects fetus development and of course, lungs. It's full of thousands of chemicals." 3:47 Asthma Canada on health risks from wildfire smoke He said he hopes the global spread of Canadian wildfire smoke encourages more people to think about human-caused climate change. Story continues below advertisement 'We can prevent some of these wildfires through fire bans, forest closures, education,' Flannigan said.
