Archived reports

• Data courtesy of the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC).
• Check the Air Quality Health Index for air quality in your area.

Priority fires

1. BC: 6 fires (503,907 ha.). Many active fires threatening infrastructure and private property. Several evacuation orders and alerts in effect. Several priority fires being contained.
2. PC: 3 fires (16615 ha.). Fires affect National and Provincial Parks, with each agency contributing resources .

Interagency mobilization

The National Preparedness Level is 5 with British Columbia at level 5 and Parks Canada at level 4. Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario are at level 3, and the remaining agencies are level 1 or 2. The fires in British Columbia and the Northwest Territories are accounting for most of the area burned this week. The number of agencies mobilizing resources has dropped slightly from 12 last week to 10 this week. The US remains at preparedness level 4.

Weekly Synopsis

Canada has recorded 3,849 fires so far this year, which have burned 1,523,321 ha. Most of the 561 fires that burned over the last week occurred in Ontario and Manitoba, with Ontario (22.8%) being the most active and Manitoba (19.1%) being the second, while most of the 320,675 hectares burned over the last week was in British Columbia (43.9%) Northwest Territories (40.7%). Lightning accounted for about 60% of the new fires. Seasonal fire occurrence and area burned remain significantly below the 10-year average (76% and 66% respectively), although these percentages are higher than last week’s.

A Pacific storm in the Gulf of Alaska, a ridge of high pressure covering British Columbia and Yukon, and a low pressure system near Hudson Bay drive a familiar weather pattern. Warm and dry conditions continue in British Columbia. Light winds will prevent rapid fire spread but will not disperse smoke well.

The eastern edge of the ridge slopes from northern Yukon into northwestern Ontario with warm and generally dry conditions spreading eastwards. A few weak disturbances traveling through this broad area will develop isolated pockets of thundershowers, with a few new human and lightning fires the likely outcome. The South Slave area in the Northwest Territories may have a few thundershowers and remains prone to lightning fires.

A low pressure area moving east through the southern Prairies is providing cloud and showers to southern Manitoba and the western Great Lakes, and a low moving east from Hudson Bay is driving showers through northern Quebec and Labrador. The Maritimes remain south of this rain, although Nova Scotia and Newfoundland have had recent rain from a system moving along the Atlantic Coast.

The result of the current pattern is elevation of fire danger from last week’s values in most of Canada, although the size of the high fire danger area in the Maritime Provinces has been reduced.

In British Columbia, open fires and campfires are prohibited across the province. Forest use is restricted in areas near the Big Bend Creek, Tatelkuz Lake, Lucas Lake and Chedakuz Creek wildfires southwest of Vanderhoof. Forest use is restricted in the Dunn Lake, Thuya Creek, and Elephant Hill areas. Off-road vehicles for recreational purposes on Crown land will be prohibited throughout the Cariboo Fire Centre, Kamloops Fire Centre and Southeast Fire Centre. In addition, all on-highway vehicles must remain on defined road surfaces.

In Alberta, fire bans are in effect in Banff, Jasper, and Waterton lakes National Parks; The MDs of Acadia, Foothills, Pincher Creek, Willow Creek No.26 and Taber; the counties of Warner, Wheatland, Cardston, Forty Mile No. 8, Cypress, Kneehill, Rocky View, Lethbridge, and Vulcan; as well as Calgary Forest Area, Cochrane, the town of Jasper, Fort Macleod, Glenwood, Hill Spring, Lethbridge, Magrath, Crowsnest Pass, Ghost Lake, Waiparous, Banff, Black Diamond, Nanton, Okotoks, Turner Valley, Canmore, Cardston, Coaldale, and Trochu. Fire restrictions are in effect in Birch Hills County, Claresholm, Coalhurst, Drumheller, the County of Newell, and Special Areas. Consult the Alberta fire bans web page (https://www.albertafirebans.ca) for the nature of these restrictions and bans. Fire advisories are in effect for County of Minburn, Beaver County, Airdrie, Calgary, Chestermere, Leduc County, Parkland County, County of Paintearth No. 18, County of Newell, Westlock County, Crossfield, and Devon.

In Yukon, burning permits are suspended in all districts except Faro and Stewart Crossing.

Northwest Territories currently has no fire bans.

In Saskatchewan, all open fires are prohibited on Crown land south of Highway 7 from the Alberta border east to Rosetown; west of Highway 4 south to the junction of highways 4 and 15; south of Highway 15 west to the junction of highways 15 and 11; west of Highway 11 south to Regina; and west of Highway 6 from Regina to the U.S. border. The ban affects all provincial parks and recreation sites in the ban area, including: Buffalo Pound, Cypress Hills (Centre and West blocks), Danielson, Douglas, Saskatchewan Landing, St. Victor’s Petroglyphs and Wood Mountain Post provincial parks; Elbow Harbour, Coldwell Park, Cypress Lake, and Lovering Lake recreation sites.

In Manitoba, open fires are prohibited from April 1 to November 15, except under burning permits or in enclosed, approved fire pits. Activities in wooded areas involving fireworks or sky lanterns may also require written authorization during this period in certain areas. No other restrictions are currently in effect.

Ontario has full fire bans in effect in Whitesand and Windigo Bay provincial parks.

In Quebec, industrial burning licenses have been suspended and cancelled in the Maniwaki region.

In New Brunswick, burning is restricted to the hours of 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. in all counties.

No fire restrictions are in effect in Nova Scotia.

In Prince Edward Island, burning permits are required for all outdoor burning throughout the fire season. Burning permits have been suspended in the Western District.

No fire bans appear to have been reported in Newfoundland.

Prognosis

The strong ridge along the Pacific coast gradually leans to the east as a Pacific trough stretches south along the British Columbia coast. This trough is expected to move into British Columbia on the weekend of August 12-13, and may lead to new lightning fires. Wind from the south or southeast will precede this event in British Columbia and Alberta and spread eastward, dispersing smoke but likely increasing fire growth. As this Pacific air mass moves inland, Yukon and the central and northern Northwest Territories appear to receive the most generous rainfall, although a cold front with possible thundershowers moves through the Prairies Provinces Sunday through Tuesday (August 13-15). With several dry days, warm and windy weather, and possible lightning, new fire starts and active growth are possible in much of western Canada. A moister Pacific flow may begin to provide more regular rainfall to western Canada by the middle of the week. The next report will confirm or modify this expectation.