Wildfire in northwest Edmonton still considered active

Smoke from a wildfire in northwest Edmonton on Thursday, May 4, 2023. (Brandon Lynch/CTV News Edmonton)

A wildfire that originally broke out on Monday flared up again on Thursday is still considered active as of Friday morning.

The fire first broke out in the area of 184 Street and 105 Avenue on Monday afternoon, forcing a section of Anthony Henday Drive to be shut down for several hours during rush hour.

Crews have been at the site on and off during the week to manage hotspots.

Edmonton Fire Rescue Services confirmed they were called back to the area of 111 Avenue and 190 Street around 7 a.m. Thursday after receiving reports of smoke in the area.

Firefighters were called to the scene again around 12:30 p.m. after getting a report of smoke at 111 Avenue and 190 Street.

A spokesperson for Edmonton Fire Rescue Services says the fire is still considered active, and 12 units are on scene.

As of 1 p.m., a large plume of smoke could be seen over west Edmonton.

One Edmontonian described seeing flames spread quickly.

"I was just pulling up and saw some smoke and a firetruck behind me, and all of a sudden, just over the top of those trees you could see a flame start to poke through, and it jumped right across 111 Avenue here and continued on. It was super quick," Shamus Dowler told CTV News Edmonton.

"Insanely fast. I couldn’t believe it. And by the time the firefighters pulled up and had their hoses out it was triple the size, and they were fast getting set up."

The fire was declared under control around 3:15 p.m. on Thursday, but EFRS said crews were still fighting the fire.

As of 6 a.m. on Friday, the fire was still considered active, and crews were still on scene.