The Wood Buffalo National Park has released their wildfire update for June 27th.
The fires in the Davidson Lake area are currently estimated to be 101,982 hectares. This estimate includes Fires 8, 9, 11, 13 and 14, as all fires are being reported as one complex.
Crews will continue to extinguish hot spots in the coming days, focusing on the south and western sides of Fire 14. Crews continued to action hot spots in Fire 14 along the dozer guards on Trident Creek. Helicopters supported ground crews with buckets and actioned isolated hot spots further to the north. Nodwells delivered water to firefighters along the fireline.
Resources from the Davidson-Paskwa Complex were assisting with HFW-075. This will happen again today to assist in suppression efforts. The community guard north of Garden River is now complete. An additional guard is being created south of Highway 58 towards the Peace River, at the request of Little Red River Cree Nation. This will ensure that the community of Garden River is protected from all directions and will limit the threat from future wildfires.
In the Pine Lake area, there are currently 65 fire personnel and four helicopters responding.
Fire 2 was last mapped at 18,911 hectares. Yesterday, Fire 2 saw minimal growth to the NW. The fire is now hung up in a wet, swampy area and is unlikely to move in the coming days. Fire 2 remains to be 8 km from Pine Lake and 68 km from Fort Smith. It poses no threat to the community at this time.
Fire 7 was last mapped at 41,104 hectares. Yesterday, Fire 7 did not see any growth. Overcast, rainy conditions helped to limit spread on the NW corner. Like Fire 2, Fire 7 is now in a wet area and is unlikely to move much further at this time. It is 1 km northwest of Pine Lake, approximately 32 km from Fort Smith, and approximately 33 km from Fort Fitzgerald. It poses no threat to communities at this time.
Fire personnel continue to prioritize extinguishment of hot spots along the northern perimeter. This work is being supplemented by thermal scanning. Each day, crews patrol the north line to watch for new smoke and to extinguish spots identified the night before. The goal is to ensure the north end is cold 100 feet in, to prevent spread. Fire crews also patrolled the Pine Lake area to ensure that there were no remaining hot spots from yesterday’s operation. There are no concerns at this time.
No cabins or other structures have been impacted by Fire 7. Fire 15 continues to be held and is not expected to grow outside of its current boundaries.
