WATCH ABOVE: Firefighters battling a wildfire near Lodgepole say the blaze’s characteristics suggest Alberta could be in for a difficult fire season. Fletcher Kent reports.
EDMONTON — A wildfire that was burning out of control for several days northwest of Lodgepole was brought under control Friday morning.
In a post on the Alberta Wildfire Info Facebook page, officials said the wildfire – approximately 8.5 kilometres from Lodgepole – was “100 per cent contained and no longer out of control” “thanks to the hard work of our firefighters.”
The province’s Sustainable Resource Developement website said Friday the wildfire was classified as “being held” at 753 hectares in size.
“Our firefighters made great progress fighting the wildfire yesterday,” the post reads. “This means that firefighters were able to suppress the wildfire enough so that we aren’t expecting the fire to grow given current weather conditions.”
SRD said Wednesday morning there were about 65 firefighters working on the fire.
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The fire is situated on the north side of Pembina River, west of secondary highway 753 between Paddy Creek and Rat Creek.
“The wind and the dry weather conditions that we’ve had lately are extreme concerns for us,” said Richard Horne, an Alberta wildlife information officer, on Wednesday.
“In springtime everything is dry, nothing has turned green right now. We have lots of dead branches on the ground, lots of long, brown grass that burns very quickly and burns very hot.”
Air tankers were brought in to drop retardant, while helicopters with water buckets and several pieces of heavy equipment were building fire guards along the rear and flanks of the fire.
For the latest information and updates, visit the Alberta Wildfire Info Facebook post.
Because of expected strong winds and warm, dry conditions, the wildfire hazard was set to extreme for the Edson Wildfire Management Area.
Officials are warning the public of a large amount of smoke in the air due to the fire. Anyone with a health question or concern can call Health Link Alberta: Toll-free: 1-866-408-5465 (LINK).
READ MORE: Crews battling new wildfires in warm and dry western Alberta backcountry
Lodgepole is about 160 kilometres southwest of Edmonton and 30 kilometres southwest of Drayton Valley.
Drayton Valley resident Lisa Fitzpatrick took some photos of the wildfire and shared them with Global News.
*NOTE: This article was originally published on May 13. It was updated on May 15 with information the fire was contained.
WATCH: The dry weather isn’t letting up and it’s causing a number of problems in our city and province. Lisa Wolansky reports.
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