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Calgary Herald

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. Article content Article content The scale gives firefighters a better picture of how likely a forest fire is to start, spread, and how intense it could be. Article content Article content SLAVE LAKE — EXTREME DANGER Article content Article content The wildfire danger was once again extreme in the Slave Lake Forest Area due to hot, dry, and windy conditions. Article content 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. Article content '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. Article content 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. Article content LAC LA BICHE — EXTREME DANGER Article content There were currently six active wildfires burning in the Lac La Biche forest area, where wildfire danger is classed as 'extreme.' Article content Since Jan. 1 there have been 69 wildfires in the Lac La Biche Forest Area burning a total of 530 hectares. Article content Article content LWF060 was being held and crews are working towards extinguishment near the junction of Highway 55 and 866, southeast of Grandeur Lake. Article content This wildfire was estimated at 47.9 hectares in size. Article content The remainder of the active wildfires were considered under control Friday, and there were no threats to communities or structures at the time. Article content Visit the wildfire status dashboard for additional information. Article content 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.