Officials told residents of the hamlet of Janvier to prepare for a possible evacuation Wednesday night as an out-of-control wildfire was burning south of the community.
In an alert issued just before 8 p.m., officials said the fire was burning 10 kilometres south of Janvier, a small community on the shores of Bohn Lake that’s located in the southern region of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.
Wildfire officials originally thought the fire was about 250 hectares in size, but said Thursday morning it was about 237 hectares in size. The fire remained out of control on Thursday morning, wildfire information officer Matt Bell said.
“No evacuation order is being issued at this time,” officials said in an emergency alert Wednesday night, that remained in place Thursday. “The Hamlet of Janvier or Chip Prairie First Nation are not currently being threatened by the wildfire.
“Smoke will be visible in the area. Air quality may be impacted.”
On Thursday, Environment Canada issued a special air quality statement for parts of Wood Buffalo and Lac La Biche County because of the wildfire.
“A fire located 10 km south of Janvier is producing smoke which is impacting the Fort McMurray area,” the weather agency said on its website. “Poor ventilation in the area will allow the air quality to persist at low levels this evening.
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“Individuals may experience symptoms such as increased coughing, throat irritation, headaches or shortness of breath. Children, seniors, and those with cardiovascular or lung disease, such as asthma, are especially at risk.”
For the latest information on air quality in the area and what you can do to protect yourself, click here.
READ MORE: Alberta fire season: latest status of wildfires and number of fire bans
According to Matt Bell, an information officer with Alberta Wildfire, the wildfire broke out Wednesday afternoon. Bell said Thursday it’s believed the fire started because of a lightning strike.
“We have had multiple air tankers fighting the fire throughout the day and into the evening, and heavy equipment as well to contain the wildfire,” Bell said Wednesday night.
“We are in constant contact with those organizations (county and municipality) and ensuring that the public is safe.”
Officials said dozers began working to construct a guard in the late afternoon and will continue through the night.
“In the Lac La Biche forest area, and even in that Janvier area, obviously we’re seeing a very high to extreme fire hazard so with hot and dry conditions, it’s really important that the public is careful,” Bell said.
Shortly after 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo tweeted an update on the fire in which it said that although the hamlet wasn’t “immediately threatened” by the blaze, it was moving northwest towards the access route to Janvier.
Wood Buffalo officials said regional emergency services and Alberta Forestry are responding to the fire.
Shortly after 9 p.m., the Alberta Emergency Management Agency provided an update saying residents of the Chip Prairie First Nation should also prepare for a possible evacuation.
On Thursday, Alberta Wildfire said a new wildfire broke out in the Janvier area but was quickly extinguished by fire crews. The main Janvier-area wildfire “did not experience significant growth” but officials said six helicopters were dropping buckets of water on hot spots and firefighters were still working to secure a fire guard. The fire remained classified as out of control even though officials said the blaze was 70 per cent contained by fire guard.
Janvier is about 120 kilometres south of Fort McMurray. According to the 2015 municipal census, there are 155 people living in Janvier.
On Thursday, Alberta Wildfire said there were eight active wildfires in the “Lac La Biche forest area.” Four were out of control, two were being held and two were under control.
Watch below: Some videos from Global News’ coverage of the 2018 wildfire season in Alberta.
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