Hot, windy weather expected to worsen wildfires as heat dome approaches

On Thursday afternoon, the number of wildfires in Alberta had risen to 82, up from 78 on Wednesday.

Of the 82 fires, 23 were classified as out of control. That's one fewer than Wednesday.

To date this year, 426 fires have burned 443,000 hectares.

With hot, dry and windy weather on the way, officials are bracing for increased wildfire activity in the province and are asking Albertans to help prevent more fires.

• Western Canada braces for early heat wave, raising wildfire risk in Alberta and B.C.

FIREFIGHTING EFFORTS

More than 1,500 Albertans were working on wildfires in Alberta, including firefighters, incident management teams and Alberta Wildfire staff.

They have been joined by 284 firefighters from outside the province and 300 Canadian Armed Forces members.

Christie Tucker, Alberta Wildfire information unit manager, said the following fires are high on the list of priorities for firefighters, especially as dry, windy weather approaches:

• Rainbow Lake,
• Fox Lake;
• Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation; and
• Yellowhead County.

"A wind gust will have a significant impact on a wildfire, and that's what can turn one of those smaller new starts into a larger fire very quickly," Tucker said. "It can also wake up a fire that has been showing low activity because of cooler temperatures."

For Albertans thinking of heading out of town to enjoy the warm weather, Tucker asked people to check albertafirebans.ca and follow any restrictions in place. 

"I would ask Albertans to remain vigilant, we are not out of the woods," Tucker said. "Please continue to watch for restrictions and bans and help us prevent any further wildfires."

EVACUATION ORDERS

There were 12 active evacuation orders in place and an estimated 16,470 evacuees as of Thursday afternoon.

While the number was down from Wednesday's estimate of 17,861, officials are warning residents near wildfires to remain ready to leave on short notice.

"Remember that the province remains in a highly volatile and rapidly changing environment," said Colin Blair, Alberta Emergency Management Agency executive director. "That is particularly true with rising temperatures in the forecast this weekend.

"Albertans need to remain vigilant."

More than 6,000 students were affected by 28 school closures, the province said. That number was down from a high of 68 schools closed and more than 13,600 students affected.

Parents have been asked to keep in touch with their children's school for the most up-to-date information on closures or disruptions.

Since Tuesday, more than 6,500 emergency financial assistance applications had been filed by evacuees and more than $2 million distributed.

Thursday, the Government of Canada and the Government of Alberta also announced they would be matching Red Cross donations for disaster relief efforts for communities impacted by wildfires.

FORECAST

Recent rain in parts of the province wasn't enough to alleviate the drought conditions, which are similar to the conditions during the Fort McMurray wildfire, said CTV News Edmonton Meteorologist Josh Classen.

"We all remember what happened in 2016," Classen added. "So, it's not unprecedented that we would have this much of a fire risk.

"It is a little unprecedented that we've had this many fires though and this much land burn already."

Classen said an incoming "heat dome" is going to further exacerbate fire activity in the province, with northern Alberta seeing the worst of the "long stretch" of hot, dry conditions.

"With the kind of temperatures we're going to see this weekend, sunshine, a little bit of wind and these temperatures near or into the 30s, the fire risk is going to be extremely high right across the province," Classen said.

"This is not going to get better any time soon, the situation is only going to get worse."

Classen said anyone heading out of town to enjoy the hot temperatures should be careful to follow fire bans and other restrictions in place to prevent wildfires.

"We're not going to have lightning strikes this weekend starting fires," he added. "If there are new fires started this weekend, it's probably going to be human activity.

"So the more that people can do to limit that, the better off we're going to be."