Fire Personnel working in the Wood Buffalo National Park have surpassed 100 in the latest update.
There are currently 101 fire personnel and 7 helicopters responding to wildfires in Park today. Pine Lake, Pine Lake Road and Parsons Lake Road remain closed until further notice. The closure area includes Parsons Lake Road from the Salt Plains Access Road junction to Pine Lake Road, and Pine Lake Road from the Grosbeak Lake trailhead to Peace Point. This includes Pine Lake Day Use Area, private cabins, Pine Lake Campground and Pine Lake rental cabins. Backcountry camping is currently prohibited in the park to ensure public safety while Parks Canada manages several active wildfires.
Fire 23 is approximately 5,000 hectares and 12km north of Highway 5. Yesterday, fire management specialists assessed fire 23 to determine whether ignition operations were required to protect Highway 5 and associated critical infrastructure.
While the fire did grow, it has not reached established triggers to initiate this action. In the coming days, if ignition is required, this operation will involve burning vegetation (grass, logs, adjacent trees). The goal of this tactic is to consume fuels between its current location and the highway to avoid intense fire impacting the highway and damaging critical infrastructure.
Smoke may be visible from the highway. Residents and motorists are asked to drive with caution and should be prepared for delays or sudden road closures.
Dry, windy conditions have been affecting the Pine Lake Complex, leading to extreme fire conditions with Fire 27. resulting in the fires breaching existing guards in several areas around Pine Lake. Strong north winds, cross-over conditions and extreme poor visibility resulted in fire personnel being moved off the fire line. Ignition operations to limit fire spread towards values was conducted later in the day. Fire personnel will assess yesterday’s ignition efforts and the potential need for additional ignition.
