Leader staff

Hot weather generated thunderstorm activity late last week, with fires the predictable result.

The report from Alberta Wildfire on Thursday night was of five new fires started earlier that evening, on a day when the mercury got up to around +33C.

(Following reports are as of 9 p.m. on July 28.)

SWF090 is located approximately 4.5 kilometres east of Peerless Lake is classified as burning out of control. Airtankers were successful in slowing the spread. Airtankers doused the open flames and laid fire retardant around the majority of the wildfire’s edge. Once the smoke cleared, the accurate size was measured to be 9.7 hectares. There were 13 firefighters with two helicopters working on the wildfire, which was not threatening the community.

SWF091, located approximately 29 kilometres east of Utikuma Lake is classified as burning out of control. There are eight firefighters and a helicopter working on the 0.31-hectare wildfire.

SWF092 and SWF093, located approximately 88 kilometres north of Red Earth Creek are classified as being held. Airtankers were successful in slowing the spread and there are eight firefighters with two helicopters working on these wildfires. These wildfires are 0.8 and one hectare in size.

SWF094, located approximately 32 kilometres southwest of Chipewyan Lakes is classified as burning out of control. It is 0.51 hectares in size and there are eight firefighters with four helicopters working on it.

A fire (SFW078) that started on July 17, 35 km northeast of Chipewyan Lake and 100 km northwest of Fort McMurray and grew to over 1,300 hectares, is now under control. There are 49 firefighters with four helicopters still working on it.

Since January 1st, 2022 in the Slave Lake Forest Area, there have been 94 wildfires which have burned 1873.62 hectares. Provincially, 716 wildfires have burned a total of 102,371.27 hectares.