Latest news with #SwanHills
CTV News
2 days ago
- Climate
- CTV News
More than 4,000 Albertans forced to flee fires, critical infrastructure believed destroyed in northern Alberta
The Edith Lake wildfire (SWF076) north of Swan Hills on May 29, 2025. (Source: Alberta Wildfire) At least two-dozen structures are believed to have been destroyed by wildfire in northern Alberta, the chief of one of the evacuated communities says. Chief Andy Alook of Bigstone Cree Nation, which sits more than 300 kilometres north of Edmonton, announced the news to his members in a video posted to social media on Sunday. 'Based on pictures shared by the firefighters that were in the community, we believe we have lost 27 structures, including the senior centre, the water treatment plant, the church and the Bigstone Health Centre,' he said. Alook said the information was based on the final assessment done by firefighters before they left the area on Thursday. Wildfire breached Chipewyan Lake around 8 p.m., just three hours after the community was evacuated. 'Please keep in mind this is not a boots-on-the-ground assessment yet, an aerial assessment team was in Chipewyan Lake and will have a preliminary report along with photos for us [Monday.]' Alook added fire was so intense it destroyed fire protection hoses and equipment. Chipewyan Lake is part of the Slave Lake forest area, which contains nearly half of the out-of-control wildfires in Alberta. Several of the communities in the area have been evacuated, and the province says wildfire damage remains high. Rain over the weekend wasn't enough to help and warm temperatures are expected to evaporate any surface moisture quickly. Yellowhead County evacuations Closer to Edmonton, residents in three communities in Yellowhead County will be able to return home on Tuesday starting at noon. Wade Williams, the county's mayor, says firefighters managed to stop a fire burning near the hamlet of Peers at the railroad tracks at the edge of the hamlet. 'I don't know if people realize how close we came to losing the entire hamlet of Peers, but had the system we had in place not been in place, that hamlet was in huge trouble,' Williams said. Residents of Peers, as well as Robb and Mercoal, are being told to expect to see firefighting equipment still in the area when they return home later this week. 'We are not out of this as of yet, but we have some breathing room for the moment. Crews will continue working these active fires for days to come, until they are completely out. 'The fire hazard is high and the potential for new starts is high. Everyone in the county should have an evacuation plan,' Williams said. Swan Hills fire Meanwhile, residents of Swan Lake, Alta., can now apply for emergency evacuation payments from the province. The wildfire threatening the town is still burning out of control and firefighters are working to protect structures in the community. Additional firefighting resources from Yukon and the United States are on route to help fight the fire. The province says as of Monday, about 4,625 Albertans have been forced out of their homes due to wildfires. With files from CTV News Edmonton's Nicole Lampa
Reuters
2 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Alberta's wildfires disrupt some 7% of Canada's oil production
CALGARY, June 2 (Reuters) - Wildfires burning in Canada's oil-producing province of Alberta have affected more than 344,000 barrels per day of oil sands production, or about 7% of the country's overall crude oil output, according to Reuters calculations. At least two thermal oil sands operators south of the industry hub of Fort McMurray evacuated workers from their sites over the weekend and shut production as a precaution. Canadian Natural Resources ( opens new tab said it evacuated workers from its Jackfish 1 location and shut in approximately 36,500 bpd of bitumen production. Cenovus Energy ( opens new tab said it evacuated non-essential personnel from its Christina Lake oil sands site, and shut in approximately 238,000 bpd of production. The company said on Sunday it is not aware of any damage to its infrastructure and anticipates a full restart of its Christina Lake operations in the near term. MEG Energy ( opens new tab said on Friday it had evacuated workers from its Christina Lake site. While production at the site continues, the company said on Saturday that the fires caused a power outage that is delaying startup of its Phase 2B operations, which represent approximately 70,000 barrels per day of production. Wildfires have also affected some of Alberta's conventional oil-and-gas production. A blaze burning near the town of Swan Hills in the northern part of the province forced Aspenleaf Energy to shut in about 4,000 bpd of production last week. Canada produces about 4.9 million barrels of oil per day. Alberta has 49 active fires and there are 24 active fires in Manitoba and 16 in Saskatchewan, according to provincial data. In parts of Minnesota and North Dakota, air quality reached unhealthy levels on Monday, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's AirNow page. In 2023, Canadian wildfires blanketed much of the U.S. East Coast in smoke, forcing millions of Americans to stay indoors. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said on Monday that some 400,000 hectares (988,422 acres) have now burned in the province, up from about 9,000 as of last week. She said nearly 5,000 people have been evacuated, adding that the government is restarting its emergency management cabinet committee out of concerns the situation in the province is worsening. "We've got to be able to respond in a way that is going to be rapid," Smith told reporters in Saskatoon. The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre says that as of June 1, a total of 1.4 million hectares have burned so far across Canada. Last week, Manitoba urged 17,000 people to evacuate due to fires in the province's remote north. Wildfires have hit oil and gas production in Canada several times in the past decade. Last year, Suncor Energy ( opens new tab, Canada's second-largest oil sands producer, temporarily curtailed production at its Firebag complex due to a nearby blaze. In May of 2023, companies shut in at least 319,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, or 3.7% of Canada's total production, as more than 100 wildfires burned in Alberta. In 2016, thousands of oil sands workers were evacuated as a monster wildfire destroyed part of the community of Fort McMurray, forcing companies to reduce their oil output by a million barrels per day.
Reuters
7 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Cenovus Energy scales back non-essential staff from Foster Creek facility
May 28 (Reuters) - Cenovus Energy ( opens new tab said on Wednesday it was scaling back non-essential workforce from its Foster Creek facility in response to wildfires in Northern Alberta. A recent wildfire in the Canadian province of Alberta, has prompted a temporary shutdown of some oil and gas production and forced residents of a nearby small town to evacuate. Alberta Wildfire said that the blaze, nearly 1,600 hectares in size, is burning out of control about 7 km north of Swan Hills in the province's northern region. The Canadian oil and gas producer added that it was closely monitoring the evolving wildfire situation in the region and the staffing measure was a precaution.
CBC
7 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
Dangerous fire conditions expected as fight to save Swan Hills continues
Social Sharing 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. On Tuesday afternoon, as temperatures grew sweltering, fanning the fire's eastern flank, the flames breached the highway north of town. The fire continues to spread. In an update Wednesday, emergency officials said the fire has now burned 3,629 hectares, up from around 2,300 hectares the day before. On Wednesday, crews are expected to focus on containing the southeast side of the wildfire in the area where it crossed Highway 33, which remains closed. WATCH | Wildfires trigger evacuations across Western Canada: Wildfires trigger evacuations across Western Canada 15 hours ago Duration 2:00 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. Jeff Goebel, a councillor for the town of Swan Hills, said local and provincial crews are doing all they can to contain the flames. Goebel, who has lived in Swan Hills since 1985, said the community is familiar with the threat of fire and faced a previous evacuation in 2023 when residents fled as smoke and ash filled the sky. This evacuation was calmer and less unsettled, he said. But that familiarity has not brought comfort to displaced residents, he added. Many are worried about the homes they left behind and can't help but think of other Alberta communities that have been devastated by wildfire in recent years, Goebel said. "We went through this before," he said. "But there's always worry. "You see the news reports from other places and unfortunately, that's fresh in people's minds: Slave Lake, Fort McMurray, Jasper. Those images are imprinted in people's minds." '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. Meteorologists caution that this summer will be warmer and drier than average, bringing drought-like conditions that will escalate the fire risk. It has already proved a difficult season across the west, particularly along the Ontario-Manitoba boundary, where wildfires have already offered a preview of the risks at play this summer. Several communities have evacuated in recent days as fast-moving fires tear across the region. In Saskatchewan, at least 4,000 people have evacuated their homes and communities due to aggressive wildfires in the northern reaches of the province. With the community of Flin Flon on the verge of evacuation, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said people should be prepared to lend a hand to evacuees as wildfires threaten his province. Weather Network meteorologist Doug Gillham cautioned that the summer's hot and sunny forecast highlights "that you can get too much of a good thing." The big picture forecast has some similarities to the summer of 2021, Gillham said. That year Western Canada saw drought, wildfires, water shortages and a deadly heat wave over British Columbia. Drought could be a serious concern across the southern part of the Prairies along with warmer-than-normal temperatures for northern parts of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Gillham said. Flannigan said challenging days on the fire line 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."
CBC
28-05-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Dangerous fire conditions expected to develop as fight to save Swan Hills continues
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. WATCH | Wildfires trigger evacuations across Western Canada: Wildfires trigger evacuations across Western Canada 14 hours ago Duration 2:00 Evacuation orders are in effect across parts of Western Canada as warm, dry conditions fuel several out-of-control wildfires from Manitoba to British Columbia, forcing thousands to flee. 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."
