Wildfire

The City of Grande Prairie has issued a fire advisory, effective Tuesday, July 9, 2024, at 12 p.m. due to hot and dry conditions.

Under this advisory:

• Fire permits for open burning and fireworks will not be issued.
• Existing burning permits are suspended.
• New fire pit permits will be issued on a case-by-case basis, for light burning only.

Permitted Activities:

Mackenzie County has issued an evacuation notice (alert) for Zama. 

Please avoid the area and do not use drones in the vicinity of Zama City. 

Alberta Wildfire personnel, aircraft and equipment operators are continuing to respond to this wildfire, which is currently out of control — meaning the wildfire is burning and is expected to continue growing. The fire remains approximately 8.5 km southwest of Zama City and is estimated to cover about 3,200 hectares (ha). The cause of this wildfire remains under investigation.

The grassfire in Springbank has been contained and extinguished as of 8:00 p.m.

The fire's location on a forested hillside made ground efforts challenging, but air support was successfully used to prevent the spread.

Rocky View County (RVC) officials say fire crews will stay on site throughout the evening to monitor for hot spots.

Effective at 11:00 a.m. today, Thursday, May 30, 2024, the County of Grande Prairie Regional Fire Service will lift the fire restriction that was put in place on May 17 for the entire County, along with the towns of Beaverlodge, Sexsmith and Wembley. 

Due to cooler temperatures and recent rainfall, the County will not have any advisories in place as the fire danger in the region is now low.  

Residents are encouraged to check any burn piles from this winter to ensure they are completely extinguished.  

The Mayor of Fort Nelson says residents are happy to be back home after being evacuated due to wildfires more than two weeks ago. 

Rob Fraser says the joy of evacuees returning is still mixed with apprehension since the community had never before experienced a wildfire evacuation. Fraser says a banner hung from a ladder truck welcomed home residents returning from the evacuation after the order was lifted early Monday. 

The mayor of the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality says people using drones in Fort Nelson are endangering helicopter pilots fighting wildfires near the evacuated community. 

Rob Fraser says he would take out a drone with a shotgun if he was allowed, but says anyone caught using a drone in the wildfire area will be prosecuted. 

Fraser says people in the evacuation zone have also caused damage to structural protection hoses by driving over them. 

The County of Grande Prairie is thanking the brave firefighters and those who helped from the County of Grande Prairie, the City of Grande Prairie, Sexsmith, Bezanson, Teepee Creek, La Glace, Hythe, Wembley, Beaverlodge, Smokey River, Big Lakes County, the Town of Slave Lake, Municipal District of Greenview, and Alberta Wildfire.

Crews worked tirelessly to contain the fire in Teepee Creek and Valhalla. No properties were damaged due to fire, no one was injured, and the health and safety of residents was prioritized during the entire operation.

Effective at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, May 17, the County of Grande Prairie Regional Fire Service will replace its Fire Ban with a Fire Restriction for the entire County, along with the towns of Beaverlodge, Sexsmith and Wembley. 

The Grande Prairie fire ban is now reduced to a fire restriction due to the recent rainfall. Residents are reminded that despite rainy conditions over the past few days, wildfire risk across the region remains high.

The City of Grande Prairie asks residents to take all proper precautions by being informed and following the fire restriction guidelines outlined below.

Prohibited:

·All outdoor fires not contained within a non-combustible fire pit.

·Wood campfires in backcountry or random camping areas.

·Fireworks and exploding targets.

The fire is now at a status of being held. Given current weather conditions and resources, the wildfire is NOT anticipated to grow past expected boundaries. Crews will continue to work in and monitor the area.      

Changes to Evacuation Order and Evacuation Alert 

The Evacuation ORDER has been downgraded to an alert for Township Road 741 to a quarter section north of Township Road 734 and Range Road 32 to the Smoky River.