Wildfires in northeastern Alberta prompt road closures, evacuations

July 23, 2024 Canuck

Multiple out-of-control wildfires continue to rage in Alberta’s northeast.

Wildfires have already caused an evacuation of a small community of Chipewyan Lake, about 130 kilometres northwest of Fort McMurray as the crow flies, and an evacuation alert in the hamlet of Janvier.

About 100 people have been evacuated from Chipewyan Lake, according to Stephen Lacroix, senior assistant deputy minister and a managing director of Alberta Emergency Management Agency.

The wildfire that prompted the evacuation is burning about 23 kilometres northwest of Chipewyan Lake and 16 kilometres from Chipewyan Road — the only way in and out of the community. The community was evacuated on July 18th as a precaution, because the fire threatened to cut off access to the road.

That fire covered 12,625 hectares as of Monday evening.

Wildfires prompt road closures

The hamlet of Janvier, about 120 kilometres southeast of Fort McMurray, is under an evacuation alert, as an out-of-control wildfire, estimated to be 500 hectares in size, about 15 kilometres northwest of the community.

Right now, it’s only an alert and the hamlet’s residents aren’t required to evacuate, but Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, which issued the alert, encourages them to be prepared to evacuate on short notice if necessary.

A portion of Highway 881 between Conklin and Janvier is closed due to wildfire. A part of Highway 63, the major highway that leads to Fort McMurray, was closed Monday evening due to a nearby fire but has since reopened. People can visit Alberta 511 to view highway conditions, including closures.

Christie Tucker, an information officer with Alberta Wildfire, said smoke plays a role in road closures.

“I know roads have been open and closed in that area over the weekend, largely because of smoke activity,” she said.

“One of the factors that municipalities are taking into consideration when they’re considering things like evacuations or, when [Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors] is considering road closures, is certainly visibility,” Tucker said.

A spokesperson for the province said that for Highway 881, the highway has been mainly been closed because of poor visibility.

While the hamlet of Janvier is on evacuation alert, the adjacent community of Janvier 194, which is a part of Chipewyan Prairie First Nation, was ordered to evacuate on July 18th.

About 400 people have been evacuated from that community, Lacroix said.

Two notable large fires are also still burning out-of-control in the Fort McMurray area: MWF047 and MWF077. Both are within seven kilometres of industrial facilities, according to Alberta wildifre. MWF047 now covers 105,515 hectares, while MWF077 has grown to 19,112 hectares.

Fire behaviour may change

Tucker said wildfires in northeastern Alberta have not seen a lot of growth over the past few days. Smoke, though causing issues with visibility, also kept the wildfire activity low, she said.

“We are anticipating a shift in winds in that area from southeast to west, and that is going to change the direction in the intensity of the wildfires there,” Tucker said.

“And we’re preparing for that. The firefighters are aware of that.

“With this shift of wind, we may see a lifting of smoke. And that may mean that some of the relief that we’ve had over the weekend on that fire behaviour may change.”

Tucker said firefighters working on northern fires have been taking advantage of somewhat reduced wildfire conditions.

“We’ve been working on overnight operations on the ground and in the air, when we’ve been able to fly. Those have been successful in building containment lines,” particularly around at-risk communities, she said.

Meteorologist Brian Proctor with Environment and Climate Change said this week could bring showers and rain to Alberta’s northeast.

There’s a chance of showers Tuesday and tomorrow night, and showers are expected on Thursday and Friday.

It’s also going to get considerably cooler in the Wood Buffalo region, with daytime highs on Thursday and Friday expected to be 21 C and 17 C.

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