Grande Prairie Forest Area - June 16, 2025

Wildfire situation

GWF028 - The Hamelin Creek wildfire in the Blueberry Mountain area near Moonshine Lake Provincial Park

This lightning-caused wildfire remains classified as out of control. It is estimated to be 5,557 hectares in size. This wildfire has received significant rain over the past few days. These conditions are helping crews make good progress on this wildfire, especially helping to strengthen and build containment lines with heavy equipment.

The fireguard at Moonshine Lake Provincial Park continues to be maintained by Savanna Fire Department. Happy Valley Fire Department is monitoring for hot spots and sparks crossing the road. Alberta Wildfire continues to respond with firefighting crews, heavy equipment, and aircraft, when smoke conditions allow for safe flight operations. Alberta Parks remains actively involved in supporting the wildfire response in the Moonshine Lake Provincial Park. 

Saddle Hills County evacuation order and alert 

Saddle Hills County's evacuation order and evacuation alert remain in effect. Moonshine Lake Provincial Park has been evacuated and remains closed.

See Alberta Emergency Alert for evacuation zone information and further details.  

Saddle Hills County's Emergency Coordination Centre continues to be operational. If evacuees require assistance, the County requests people call them at (780) 864-2031. For more details, including evacuee information, visit the Saddle Hills County webpage or Facebook page.  

Road reports

Silver Valley road (Range Road 95) is now closed from Highway 49 to Township Road 810 due to the wildfire. Please see Saddle Hills County for the most up to date information.

Primary highway information can be found at 511 Alberta.

GBZ001 - The Kiskatinaw River wildfire 

The fire is estimated at 26,627 hectares and remains classified as out of control. It is burning near the Alberta–British Columbia border, approximately 68 km west of Grande Prairie, in the Kelly Lake area.

Recent rain has helped, with firefighting crews working on strengthening containment lines, supported by aircraft. Heavy equipment continues working on building a fireguard on the northeast side of the fire. These operations are essential for creating tight, secure containment lines that prevent further spread. 

The BC Wildfire Service is the primary agency in command of working to contain this wildfire. Alberta Wildfire is supporting these efforts as needed. The incident management team is also working closely with the County of Grande Prairie and the Peace River Regional District to ensure a coordinated regional response.

For more information on this wildfire and others in B.C., visit the BC Wildfire Service website.

County of Grande Prairie evacuation order and alert 

The County of Grande Prairie has lifted the evacuation order, but an evacuation alert remains in effect.

• Alberta residents - for more details, visit the Alberta Emergency Alert website or download the app. For the most up to date information, go to the County of Grande Prairie website or their Facebook page.
• British Columbia residents - visit the Peace River Regional District website or their Facebook page.

Grande Prairie Regional Emergency Partnership (GPREP)

GPREP has been deactivated, but residents of the County of Grande Prairie can continue to find information on the GPREP website and Facebook page.

Road reports

Please visit 511 Alberta for the most up to date Alberta road reports, and DriveBC for British Columbia roads.

GWF040 - Wildfire south of Grande Prairie

Alberta Wildfire continues to respond to wildfire GWF040, located approximately 78 km south of Grande Prairie and 19 km east of Highway 40. This wildfire is estimated at 247 hectares in size, with firefighting crews, heavy equipment, and aircraft actively working in the area. It remains classified as out of control. This wildfire has received rain over the past few days which has helped with firefighting efforts.

Grande Prairie Forest Area statistics

Since January 1, there have been 40 wildfires in the Grande Prairie Forest Area, burning a total of 5,821 hectares.

Fire ban lifted

The fire ban has been lifted for the Grande Prairie Forest Area as of June 16 at 2:00 pm. Please continue to use caution when having outdoor fires and using off-highway vehicles.

Evacuation preparedness

Have an emergency plan in case you and your family need to evacuate. Individuals and families should be prepared to take care of themselves for at least 72 hours. Be sure to also plan for your pets and livestock in case of an evacuation. 

• Evacuation alert: Issued when there is a potential threat. This gives residents time to prepare so they are ready to act quickly by packing essentials, collecting important documents, fueling vehicles, making arrangements for pets and livestock, etc.
• Evacuation order: Issued when there is an immediate risk to life or safety. Residents may be directed to leave the area immediately—there may be no time to gather belongings.

Wildfire smoke

Smoke may be visible and settling over our communities. Visit Fire Smoke Canada to see where the smoke is coming from. 

If you have smoke-related health concerns, call 811 or visit the Alberta Health website. 

Illegal use of drones near wildfires

Flying a drone near or over a wildfire endangers our pilots and forces us to ground aircraft, causing delays in firefighting operations. You could face a hefty fine for putting aircraft and people at risk. Please give our firefighters the space they need to do their jobs safely. 

For more information visit Transport Canada.

Contact info

Kassey Zatko
780-538-5327
[email protected]