Wildfire near Fort McMurray not yet under control, but long weekend rain helping
The intermittent rain and cool weather continues to help Alberta's firefighters, officials said in an update in Edmonton Thursday morning.
There were still 30 wildfires burning in Alberta's protected forest areas then.
All of the fires have been considered under control or being held since the status of a 20,000-hectare blaze near Fort McMurray was downgraded over the long weekend.
"We recorded more than 45 millimetres of rain on the wildfire outside of Fort McMurray over the weekend, but it doesn't mean our work there is done," Alberta Wildfire's Christie Tucker said during the news conference.
More than 200 firefighters, plus helicopter and heavy equipment operators are still working on the blaze, either strengthening containment lines or extinguishing hot spots.
The Rural Municipality of Wood Buffalo says it will continue to receive support from the province until the blaze is officially under control.
Long weekend campfires lead to wildfire starts
According to Tucker, Alberta Wildfire detected 33 new wildfire starts over the long weekend. All but five were determined to be the result of recreational activity.
The vast majority – 25 – were campfires that had been left unattended in the Calgary area.
"That's alarming. The cost of wildfires is extreme and I think if people realize how much just leaving a campfire unattended could cost to taxpayers, cost to disruption of people's lives, I think that's important to get across to the people of Alberta," said Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen said.
"By and large, the vast majority of Albertans do very well and are very concerned and caring, but there is some carelessness out there. It's unfortunate."
Year at a glance
All of the wildfires are located in the northern half of Alberta; fire bans or advisories remain in place near several communities.
Since the start of the year, wildfires have burned 28,500 hectares of protected forests.
Twenty fires are considered carry-over fires, meaning they ignited before the start of 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
East Coast authorities working on warning signs for great white sharks
There's growing evidence that the number of great white sharks is on the rise along Canada's East Coast, where plans are in the works to post warning signs for beachgoers for the first time.
As it happened: How the Oilers crushed the Panthers to force Game 5
The Edmonton Oilers' offence exploded in Game 4 to beat the Florida Panthers 8-1.
Rare surgery in Montreal allows 9-year-old girl to live normal life
A rare surgery at the Montreal Children's Hospital is allowing a nine-year-old girl to keep her adrenal glands and live a normal life.
Trump blasts immigrants for taking jobs as he courts voters at a Black church, MAGA event in Detroit
Donald Trump blamed immigrants for stealing jobs and government resources as he courted separate groups of Black voters and hardcore conservatives in battleground Michigan on Saturday.
Your father’s diet before you were born could have affected your health, a new study suggests
Your father's diet before you were born could have played a role in your health, a new study has found.
80 countries at Swiss conference agree territorial integrity of Ukraine must be basis of any peace
Eighty countries jointly called Sunday for the "territorial integrity" of Ukraine to be the basis for any peace agreement to end Russia’s war, though some key developing nations at a Swiss conference did not join in.
Foreign Affairs Minister insists there are no ‘traitors’ in Liberal caucus
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly insists there are no "traitors" in the Liberal caucus, after a report from the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) alleged there are MPs and senators who are “semi-witting or witting participants” in foreign interference efforts.
Global study ranks two Canadians cities high on list of most expensive places to buy a home
As Canadians continue to struggle with the extremely high cost of buying a home in some of the country’s major urban centres, a new global report is underscoring just how expensive some of those markets are.
Video shows northern Ont. storm hammer shoreline, breaking dock
The owner of a northern Ont. camp is continuing to clean up after an intense storm that prompted a tornado warning Thursday ripped through the area breaking his dock and downing trees.