An Alberta Wildfire official said Thursday the out-of-control fire burning near Fort McMurray, which forced thousands of people out of their homes, did not grow overnight and noted more rain is expected in the region.
Alberta Wildfire information unit manager Christie Tucker joined Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen at a news conference in Edmonton on Thursday morning to provide an update on the provincial wildfire situation and spoke at length about the MWF-O17 fire.
Rain could be seen falling in Fort McMurray on Thursday morning although a smoky haze remained in the air. In an update posted on the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo website at 8:30 a.m., officials noted the fire had been remapped overnight, bringing the estimated size down to about 19,820 hectares.
It was believed to have been about 21,000 hectares in size on Wednesday night.
The fire remains approximately 4.5 kilometres from the intersection of Highway 63 and Highway 881 and approximately 5.5 kilometres away from an area landfill.
“The weather conditions definitely help as far as firefighting on the ground,” Loewen said.
Tucker noted that despite the precipitation, parts of northern Alberta remain very dry and that “a little bit of rain does not mean that there is a zero chance of starting a wildfire.”
She and Loewen warned Albertans who plan to go camping over the long weekend need to be particularly careful to not start a new fire and to observe all fire bans and restrictions.
“Overnight aerial operations took place until 4 a.m. with night vision-equipped aircraft, with 31,000 gallons of water dropped,” officials said on the RMWB website. “The focus was the eastern edge of the wildfire.
“Ground operations continued building containment line from the landfill. This fire line construction will continue as a 24-hour operation to complete the containment line.”
RMWB officials said the temperature in the area was expected to reach a high of 11 C on Thursday and that there was a risk of thundershowers that could provide up to 15 mm of rain to the area.
“Winds are expected to be out of the east with speeds of 30km/h gusting to 50km/h in the morning,” officials said.
“Fire behaviour will be subdued today. The next few days show a similar forecast with forecast precipitation values varying from 20 to 80mm of total precipitation.”
A second news conference was held later on Thursday morning by Wood Buffalo Mayor Sandy Bowman, regional fire chief Jody Butz and Alberta Wildfire information officer Josee St-Onge.
St-Onge noted “it will take time and hard work to put out a wildfire of this size.”
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Butz noted that no structural damage has been reported in evacuated Fort McMurray neighbourhoods and that RCMP continue to patrol those communities.
ATCO crews patrolled the area and confirmed power was on in communities under the evacuation order.
“When you return home, your neighbourhood will look the same,” Butz said.
“With some help from the weather, I’m very hopeful,” Bowman said. “The next few days will be very important.”
“We’re graced with Mother Nature’s kindness,” Butz said.
“We’ll take as much (rain) as we can get.”
“(The fires) have very hot spots that can continue to smolder even when there’s rain,” St-Onge said.
She added that crews are currently building a fire guard from Highway 63 to the Athabasca River that but noted “fire guards are never foolproof.”
“At this time, the fire has not crossed the Athabasca River,” St-Onge said, adding there are contingency plans in place in case fire does jump the river.
Another blaze burning in the region, the MWF-024 fire north of the Parsons Creek Interchange, is now classified as being held.
Evacuation order remains in place
Several neighbourhoods in Fort McMurray remain under an evacuation order. So far, about 6,600 people have been forced to leave their homes and have been advised they will likely not be allowed to return until at least Tuesday. That re-entry date could be extended.
On Wednesday, Premier Danielle Smith reiterated that wildfire evacuees will be eligible after one week to receive $1,250 per adult and $500 per child.
Albertans in need of emergency financial assistance as they leave an area under an evacuation order can contact the Provincial Income Support Emergency Contact Centre at 1-866-644-5135.
The RMWB said as of Thursday afternoon, 2,257 residents had registered at reception centres in Lac La Biche, Cold Lake and Edmonton. These centres have also registered 306 pets, including two guinea pigs, a snake and a gecko. Seven pets are being cared for by RMWB bylaw services.
For the latest information on which areas in Alberta are under an evacuation alert or order due to a wildfire, visit the Alberta Emergency Alert website.
Bowman acknowledged that while the current wildfire burning near Fort McMurray is very different from the 2016 blaze that forced the entire community to be evacuated, people may be experiencing a lot of emotions and require mental health support.
“Please reach out if you need help,” he said.
Health Link: 8-1-1
Some Other Solutions Crisis Line: 780-743-4357
Mental Health Helpline: 1-877-303-2642
Suicide Crisis Helpline: 9-8-8
Alberta’s overall wildfire situation
Tucker said Thursday that there are currently 44 wildfires burning the in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta but that the only current out-of-control fire is the the MWF-O17 blaze burning near Fort McMurray.
She said so far this season, Alberta has seen 323 wildfires burn in all, affecting about 30,000 hectares of land.
While stressing the importance of preventing human-caused wildfires, Loewen said that in 2024, only one fire in Alberta has been determined to have been caused by lightning.
Loewen said while the provincial government has already completed its hiring of wildland firefighters for the season, some of the new hires have yet to receive wildfire training because they were unable to start earlier for personal reasons. He said that training will be completed soon.
Harjit Sajjan, Canada’s emergency preparedness minister, spoke Thursday at a separate news conference held to talk about the wildfire season across the country.
“Looking ahead into May and into June, our seasonal forecast anticipates that ongoing drought and predicted higher temperatures will continue to draw fire risk and activity across a large portion of the country, from Western Canada to the Northwest Territories through to western Quebec.”
For the latest information on road closures in Alberta, including those that are the result of wildfires, visit the 511 Alberta website.
For the latest information on the wildfire status and danger across the province, visit the Alberta Wildfire website.
The latest information on fire advisories, restrictions and bans across the province can be found on the Alberta fire bans website.
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