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Very High wildfire danger
The fire danger remains very high. A wildfire will ignite very easily in these conditions and can quickly grow out of control. High temperatures and low humidity will cause intense fire behavior. Avoid all outdoor activities that have the potential to cause a fire from a spark, friction or hot exhaust.
Fire ban
A fire ban is in effect for the northern and central regions of the Forest Protection Area. Under this ban, all outdoor wood fires are prohibited and existing fire permits are suspended.
Prohibited:
- All outdoor wood fires, including wood campfires on public and private land, designated firepits and backyard firepits
- Barbecue charcoal briquettes
- Fireworks and exploding targets
Allowed:
- Propane fire pits and natural gas-powered appliances
- Indoor wood fires
- Open flame oil devices
The fire ban will remain in effect until conditions improve. Visit Alberta Fire Bans for more information and to see the boundaries.
Wildfire situation
Since January 1, 2025 there have been 23 wildfires in the Whitecourt Forest Area burning a total of 607 hectares (ha). Learn more about active wildfires, their locations and statistics on the interactive map on our Alberta Wildfire Status Dashboard.
Wildfire west of Fawcett (WWF023)
Alberta Wildfire firefighters, supported by airtankers, helicopters and heavy equipment are responding to wildfire WWF023. The wildfire is located 12 km west of Fawcett, 19 km north of the community of Vega, in the Hubert Lake Wildland Provincial Park. The wildfire is currently classified as out of control and is approximately 594 ha in size.
Airtankers assisted firefighters and heavy equipment with building containment lines yesterday evening to prevent the wildfire from spreading. Heavy equipment continued overnight operations and made good progress, prioritizing the north and east perimeter. No growth was observed last night however firefighters are already seeing an increase in fire behavior due to hot and windy conditions.
Today, crossover conditions are expected. This means that the temperature will be greater then the relative humidity which will allow for intense fire behavior. The forecast today calls for 31C and 20% relative humidity with scattered showers and thunderstorms. Winds from the south 20 to 40 km/h are expected which could move the wildfire towards the north. Winds will be shifting from the west this afternoon between 25 to 30 gusting to 50 km/h which could move the wildfire towards the east.
Firefighters, heavy equipment and helicopters will continue working on building containment lines.
Increasing wildfire behavior is observed on WWF023 as the temperatures increase (May 29, 2025 at 12:30 p.m.).
Westlock County wildfire alert
The County of Westlock has issued a wildfire alert. Residents in the area should prepare for a possible evacuation. For more information, visit the Alberta Emergency Alert webpage or download the app. You can also visit their webpage for updates from the municipality.
Edith Lake wildfire (SWF076)
The Edith Lake wildfire was detected on May 25 and is located north of Swan Hills. For more information on this wildfire, visit the Slave Lake Forest Area wildfire update. An evacuation order remains in effect for the town of Swan Hills. For information on the evacuation order, visit Alberta Emergency Alert.
Smoky conditions
Smoke may be visible and settling over our communities. Visit firesmoke.ca to see where the smoke is coming from. If you have smoke-related health concerns, call 811 or visit the Alberta Health website.
Report a wildfire
The Whitecourt Forest Area has firefighters and equipment ready to respond to the increase in fire danger and thunderstorms in the forecast. Wildfires may ignite from lighting and spread to trees. Many of our wildfires are detected by lookout observers and members of the public and industry.
Call 310-FIRE if you see smoke or flames and suspect it's a wildfire. Learn more about how to report a wildfire.
Contact info
Caroline Charbonneau
780-740-1341
[email protected]
Jacquie Dewar
780-268-5175
[email protected]
Published on May 29, 2025 2:12 pm