Dangerous fire conditions expected to develop as fight to save Swan Hills continues

CBC

28-05-2025

Extreme heat, low humidity, and strong winds are expected to fuel a wildfire that has put a northern Alberta town under threat and forced hundreds of people from their homes.
A red flag watch is in effect for regions across the province, including Swan Hills, signalling a volatile and potentially dangerous day for crews battling the flames of an out-of-control wildfire burning eight kilometres away.
Red flag watches are issued by Alberta Wildfire meteorologists when intense and dangerous conditions are expected to develop.
The watches are issued as a warning to wildland crews that critical weather conditions are developing, including significant changes in wind speed or direction, that could lead to extreme fire behaviour.
Hot, dry, and unstable weather patterns are expected today leading to strong crossover conditions.
'Not an average summer day'
The Edith Lake wildfire sparked on Sunday and spread rapidly due to unpredictable winds and tinder-dry fuels.
By Monday evening, 1,300 residents of the town were ordered to flee south as the flames drew closer and smoke made the highway north of town impassable.
The fire continues to spread and has now burned close to 2,300 hectares.
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The current red flag watch was issued for Wednesday and Thursday's burning periods.
Most of the province remains under an extreme heat warning and unforgiving temperatures are expected to fuel the fire activity in Swan Hills.
Temperatures will be 10 to 15 degrees above seasonal, with highs between 25 C and 32 C in regions across the province.
The forecast also warns of strong south-southeast winds across the province, with gusts up to 45 km/h in the western boreal forest and northern east slopes by Wednesday afternoon.
Red flag conditions are expected to continue Thursday as another cold front moves in from B.C.
Wildfire expert Mike Flannigan said the campaign to contain a fire often hinges on the weather, but more specifically the wind.
Extreme winds blowing across the province this week, triggered by a cold front moving across the west, continues to cause problems for crews on the frontline.
"These extreme events really drive the fire world," said Flannigan, the scientific director of Thompson Rivers University's Institute for Wildfire Science, Adaptation and Resiliency in Kamloops, B.C.
"It's not an average summer day. It's those hot, dry, windy days. And if you have ignition, away we go."
More than 40 fires are burning across Alberta Wednesday morning, but Alberta Wildfire has said the blaze near Swan Hills is a priority.
Firefighters, supported by helicopters, air tankers, and heavy equipment, continue to fight the fire.
A provincial incident command team has arrived and will be co-ordinating response efforts.
Night vision-equipped helicopters and heavy equipment will continue to work through the night to strengthen containment lines and support ongoing suppression efforts.
'Our new reality'
Flannigan is expecting to see more fire on the landscape this summer in Alberta and across the Prairies.
He said the season began with campaigns to contain fires that had sparked the previous year and burned through the winter.
The long-term forecast calls for drought-like conditions and elevated temperatures.
He said challenging days are becoming more common as wildfire seasons grow longer, and more extreme.
"This is our new reality. We're going to see more fire and smoke," he said.
"Because of the warmer temperatures, we're seeing drier fuels, so it's easier for fires to start and spread. And more of that fuel is available to burn, which leads to higher-intensity fires, which are difficult to impossible to extinguish."