Latest news with #DerrickForsythe
CTV News
23-07-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
‘Keep those go bags tucked away for now': Evacuation notice lifted for Slave Lake
Crews are working to put out a wildfire northeast of the Town of Slave Lake. (Alberta Wildfire) The mayor of Slave Lake is telling residents to keep their go bags tucked away as an evacuation alert was lifted for the town and surrounding area Tuesday afternoon. 'Thanks to the continued hard work of Alberta Forestry crews – and some much-needed help from Mother Nature – the wildfire is no longer expected to grow,' said Mayor Francesca Ward in a Facebook post. Thousands of people in the Slave Lake region were put on a wildfire evacuation alert Sunday for a small blaze burning northeast of the town and east of Highway 88. Derrick Forsythe, an information officer with Alberta Wildfire, said crews were able to put containment lines around the fire last night. 'We still have to go cool off the hot spots, but we made some positive progress on that fire,' Forsythe told CTV News Edmonton. While cool temperatures have blanketed the province over the last couple of days, crews are preparing for warmer and drier conditions towards the end of the week. According to data from Alberta Wildfire, the fire northeast of Slave Lake was started by lightning. It has burned less than a square kilometre. There are 61 wildfires currently burning throughout the province — 16 of which are considered out of control. So far this year, about 67,000 square kilometres have burned. More than 1,400 firefighters from Alberta, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Australia and Chile are working on putting out wildfires across the province. With files from CTV News Edmonton's Amanda Anderson.
CBC
02-07-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Extreme heat fuels Alberta's wildfire risk as rain in the forecast offers relief
Social Sharing Alberta continues to battle a relentless wildfire season, with more than 70 wildfires burning across the province, fuelled by days of extreme heat, high winds and low humidity. Fire crews are now looking to a change in the forecast with rain expected to move into boreal regions on Thursday and Friday, promising cooler temperatures and much-needed moisture. Derrick Forsythe, an information officer with Alberta Wildfire, said the risk remains very high in many regions with crews facing intense and unpredictable conditions. Vast stretches of the province have been under extreme heat warnings for days with many communities from the far north to the far south facing daytime temperatures exceeding 37 C and overnight lows near 20 C, Environment Canada said. 'Susceptible to fire' "The warmer it gets, if there's no rain or high humidity associated with it, then the fuels will start to dry out," Forsythe said. "And as they dry out, that makes them more susceptible to fire." WATCH | Evacuated residents of Chateh, Alta., hope to return home soon: Evacuated residents of Chateh, Alta., hope to return home soon 17 days ago Duration 2:01 Wildfires continue to burn across the prairies with a smoke haze spanning from the Yukon into northern Ontario. The CBC's Sam Brooks has an update on a particularly hard-hit community in northern Alberta. According to the latest provincial fire weather forecast, rain is expected to move in across the boreal regions of Alberta Thursday and Friday after days of volatile conditions. Storms are expected to lower temperatures and douse some of the most parched areas of the province. Despite the anticipated rainfall, the risk of new fires will persist in the coming months due to dried grass and other fine fuels, Forsythe said. He urged Albertans to exercise caution. "That fine fuel, it's still out there, and that can ignite really, really easily and will carry fire quickly," he said. "Depending on where you are, you've got to be really, really careful." Northwest communities flanked by flame Forsythe said conditions in the northwest corner of the province are the most volatile and officials are closely monitoring the risk to communities. A group of fires known as the Red Earth East Creek complex is a priority for crews, he said. The complex is composed of 10 wildfires centred in the northeastern portion of the Slave Lake Forest Area. The fires threatened a handful of remote communities and triggered prolonged evacuation orders. Hundreds of people remain displaced weeks after they were ordered out of their communities. A fire, about six kilometres east of Peerless Lake in northern Alberta, has now burned nearly 13,000 hectares and is classified as out of control. Firefighters are working to extinguish hot spots on the south side of the wildfire. A fire is also burning to the west of Peerless Lake and is only five kilometres from the community. That fire has now covered more than 18,000 hectares. Another fire approximately seven kilometres southeast of Red Earth Creek and about nine kilometres west of Trout Lake, has burned more than 81,300 hectares of forest and continues to burn out of control. Firefighters have focused on dousing hot spots on the fire's northeast and northwest flanks to protect homes. A fire that advanced on the community of Chipewyan Lake has incinerated more than 138,000 hectares and is classified as out of control. Another blaze in the same area covers more than 1,300 hectares but is now classified as being held, and is no longer expected to grow beyond its current boundaries. Residents of Chipewyan Lake along with the Peerless Lake First Nation communities of Peerless Lake and Trout Lake have remained under evacuation orders since the end of May. Residents of Red Earth Creek and Loon River First Nation have been allowed to return remain on a two-hour evacuation alert. The risk of lighting has been high in recent days and fire lookout observers are monitoring for signs of smoke from new fires, according to the latest update on the regional fire response. It remains unclear when it will be safe for all residents to return. "The danger is still there," Forsythe said. "We're continuing to work on those fires but we burned up a lot of area in June, so it's going to take a while to get those perimeters cooled and make sure everything is secured." Since Jan. 1, there have been 677 wildfires in the Forest Protection Area, burning more than 681,000 hectares. More than 1,600 Alberta firefighters, contract firefighters and firefighters enlisted from across the globe are currently battling wildfires across the province. Forsythe said it's a proven to be an active season and even with rain and cooler temperatures, the risk of new fires on the landscape will remain a threat in the coming months. "It's been a pretty active wildfire season," he said. "And there's still potential for more fires. "We're hoping for the best."
CTV News
30-05-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Northern Alberta under fire ban as wildfires flare up, hot weather persists
Multiple communities in Alta. have now been evacuated because of wildfires and officials are warning several out-of-control fires will likely spread due to wind Multiple communities in Alberta have now been evacuated because of wildfires and officials are warning several out-of-control fires will likely spread due to wind. CTV News Edmonton's Miriam Valde-Carletti reports. Alberta wildfires likely to grow with hot and windy conditions in the province The province put all of northern Alberta and parts of central Alberta under a fire ban on Thursday afternoon. Forest areas around High Level, Fort McMurray, Peace River, Slave Lake, Grande Prairie, Lac La Biche, Edson, and Whitecourt that are part of the province's Forest Protection Area were put under the fire ban at 2 p.m. Outdoor wood fires on public and private land, and in designated and backyard firepits, are prohibited. Fire permits are also suspended under the ban. The central Alberta counties of Parkland, Westlock, Smoky Lake, Athabasca and Lac La Biche, as well as the M.D. of Bonnyville, are also under a fire ban. Derrick Forsythe, an information officer for Alberta Wildfire, told CTV News Edmonton temperatures are expected to remain high while humidity levels will be at relatively low levels, leading the provincial agency to issue warnings. 'The entire boreal forest is either under a red flag watch or a red flag warning today because the conditions that we're seeing are likely to contribute to extreme fire behavior over the next 24 hours,' he said on Thursday. The province's wildfire situation escalated late Wednesday and overnight into Thursday. wildfire evacuations near Chipewyan Lake Alberta May 29 2025 Red shading depicts an area in northern Alberta affected by wildfire evacuations on May 29, 2025. (CTV News Edmonton) Four northern communities were evacuated, starting with Chipewyan Lake at 5 p.m. Then, between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m., the province evacuated Red Earth Creek, Peerless Trout First Nation, and Loon River First Nation. Near the lakes that share a name with these communities – Loon Lake, Trout Lake and Chipewyan Lake – is what authorities have named the Red Earth East wildfire complex, which consists of 10 different wildfires. 'I noticed the smoke in our area so it got me thinking that maybe we're going to be evacuated because Peerless (Trout First Nation) was evacuated. So it just made sense that we were going to be next,' Loon River resident Matthew Letendre told CTV News Edmonton early Thursday morning at the Edmonton hotel his family was staying at. 'It just happened fast. We were driving to Slave (Lake) and then we passed that fire that was there. We actually saw the flames from that fire. It kind of hit us right there.' Another Loon River resident, Tony Noskeyi, said, 'The first bit (of the drive) was ashes landing on your vehicle, the wipers. We still smell like fire … because we haven't slept. We drove all night.' Video he took shows how close one wildfire was to Highway 88, the route his family took to Edmonton. As they drove further from their home, flames turned the black sky red. 'It was scary because you could see the flames right from the highway,' Noskeyi said. Heavy equipment, airtankers and helicopters have been assigned to help the Red Earth East firefight. Late Thursday afternoon, the province issued an evacuation order for Peers and areas east of the hamlet in Yellowhead County due to a nearby wildfire. Earlier this week, 1,300 residents of Swan Hills were ordered to leave their homes ahead of an advancing, wind-whipped fire, estimated to have grown to 71 square kilometres in size. The town is 180 kilometres northwest of Edmonton. There are 48 wildfires burning in Alberta as of Thursday afternoon, up from 34 on Tuesday. Alberta Wildfire is closely monitoring two other blazes, one near Mercoal that the agency has been watching for a week, and one roughly 17 km southwest of Winefred and Grist lakes. The latter is 40-square kilometres and located about 20 kilometres from oil-and-gas infrastructure. Other communities have been put on evacuation alert, meaning they must prepare to leave if the situation worsens. Full details about all evacuation alerts can be found online. With files from CTV News Edmonton's Nicole Lampa, Evan Klippenstein and Miriam Valdes-Carletti
Calgary Herald
29-05-2025
- Climate
- Calgary Herald
What happens during a Red Flag Warning? Alberta Wildfire explains
The Red Flag Warning has been sounded by Alberta Wildfire. Article content It means conditions are ripe for the ignition and fast-moving spread of wildfires. The forest-fire experts use a sliding scale, first adopted by the U.S. National Weather Service, to determine how dry the conditions are in the forest areas, and how the winds could help fan the flames if that dry tinder is ignited. Basically, a score is calculated based on wind speed, heat and the lack of humidity. Article content Article content A sample document provided by Alberta Wildfire shows a hypothetical watch being created when the maximum daily temperatures is expected to hit 33 Celsius, the humidity is at 25 per cent or lower, and wind speeds are 10 km/h. Basically, when it is punishingly hot and dry, it doesn't take a lot of wind to trigger an alert. Article content Article content And, just like weather alerts, 'watch' is one level below 'warning.' Alberta Wildfire upgraded the Red Flag watch to a warning as of 11 a.m. Thursday in the Red Earth Creek, Swan Hills, Fort Chipewyan and Fort McMurray zones, all north of Edmonton. Article content 'We establish the watch based on the weather reports we receive every day,' said Derrick Forsythe, Wildfire Alberta's information officer. 'Of course, we can't tell how long it will last because it's weather dependent. When it comes to weather forecasting, when it's anything beyond three to five days, accuracy falls off a cliff.' Article content Article content As of 11 a.m. Thursday, Environment Canada had heat warnings in place for almost all of Alberta. Only the mountain parks and the southernmost reaches of the province were exempt. The warnings covered all of the northern boreal forest regions. Article content Article content Not as much as you might think. The government department has jurisdiction over the 'green' zones of the province, which basically cover the northern boreal forest and the wilds of the eastern Rocky Mountain slopes. In most Alberta counties, towns and cities, all it can do is provide advice. Alberta Wildfire has no power to issue a fire ban in Edmonton or Calgary. Article content 'Municipalities are the ones who put restrictions in place,' said Forsythe. 'We can give them assistance.'
Edmonton Journal
29-05-2025
- Climate
- Edmonton Journal
What happens during a Red Flag Warning? Alberta Wildfire explains
Article content A sample document provided by Alberta Wildfire shows a hypothetical watch being created when the maximum daily temperatures is expected to hit 33 Celsius, the humidity is at 25 per cent or lower, and wind speeds are 10 km/h. Basically, when it is punishingly hot and dry, it doesn't take a lot of wind to trigger an alert. And, just like weather alerts, 'watch' is one level below 'warning.' Alberta Wildfire upgraded the Red Flag to a warning as of 11 a.m. Thursday. 'We establish the watch based on the weather reports we receive every day,' said Derrick Forsythe, Wildfire Alberta's information officer. 'Of course, we can't tell how long it will last because it's weather dependent. When it comes to weather forecasting, when it's anything beyond three to five days, accuracy falls off a cliff.' As of 11 a.m. Thursday, Environment Canada had heat warnings in place for almost all of Alberta. Only the mountain parks and the southernmost reaches of the province were exempt. The warnings covered all of the northern boreal forest regions.
