Cooler Weather Brings Some Relief for Fire Crews Battling Blazes in Western Canada

A fire department vehicle enters the evacuated neighbourhood of Beacon Hill in Fort McMurray, Alta., on May 15, 2024. (The Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh)

Cooler temperatures and weaker winds have provided some relief for firefighters working to gain the upper hand over fires burning in British Columbia, Alberta, and Manitoba. But the danger remains for three communities as crews work to keep the blaze away from the towns.

Dry conditions and days of gusting winds have stoked more than 100 wildfires across Western Canada, including several out of control blazes that have forced thousands to evacuate their homes in the past week.

British Columbia

It is the tale of two fires near Fort Nelson, B.C., as firefighting crews managed to hold off the Parker Lake blaze but must now also contend with the Patry Creek fire, a holdover from 2023 that has grown substantially in the past few days.

The Parker Lake fire was the subject of a May 9 evacuation order for both Fort Nelson and Fort Nelson First Nation. It was issued after the wind blew a tree down onto a power line, igniting the Parker Lake fire just nine kilometres west of the community and currently sits at more than 31,000 acres in size.

The past day-and-a-half has brought favourable weather conditions for crews fighting the Parker Lake blaze, BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) fire behaviour specialist Ben Boghean said in a May 15 Facebook post.

The change in the weather has brought a “reduction in fire behaviour and minimal fire growth towards the community,” Mr. Boghean said.

Despite the blaze remaining some two kilometres outside of the town, Mayor Rob Fraser confirmed that there has been some structural damage, and the municipality will contact property owners after the damage has been assessed.

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“There’s no damage at all in the town proper, but out along the stretch of the Alaska highway in close proximity to where this started, there’s been some damage,” he said during a May 15 meeting.

The mayor also expressed his frustration with people posting photos and videos of the damage on social media, calling it “unconscionable.”

“Can you imagine finding out about your shop or your house because somebody posted it on Facebook?” he said.

The mayor said he is confident fire crews will “kill this beast if the weather holds the way it is,” but added that the Parker Lake blaze is not the only fire in the area. The Patry Creek wildfire is also a concern, he said.

Mr. Boghean described the Patry Creek wildfire as “growing quickly,” fuelled by northwesterly winds that created “significant growth and extreme fire behaviour” throughout the day May 12 and into the morning of May 13. It currently encompasses more than 177,000 acres and is spreading quickly.

“This aggressive rate of spread and fire growth now places the Patry Creek wildfire 25 kilometres north of Fort Nelson,” he said. “The Patry Creek wildfire does not pose an immediate threat to Fort Nelson, but that can rapidly change if the area receives strong northerly winds and continuous dry conditions.”

The forecasted cooler temperatures and chance of rain are favourable “for the short term” but the “threat of extreme fire behaviour returning to the region will remain,” he added.

The Truax Creek area, on the south side of Carpenter Lake, continues to be closely monitored as a potential fire risk after an out of control wildfire was discovered May 12 west of Lillooet.

The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District issued an evacuation alert earlier this week saying that “anyone in the affected area must be ready to leave on short notice.”

The BC Wildfire Service website describes the Truax Creek wildfire as roughly 450 acres in size and burning out of control 12 kilometres northeast of the tiny community of Gold Bridge, located more than three hours north of Pemberton.

By the end of day May 15, BC Wildfire Service was reporting a total of 125 wildfires, 12 of which were out of control. The Parker Lake and the Patry Creek wildfires were both deemed to be a potential threat to public safety as of publication.

Alberta

More than 6,600 residents from Fort McMurray have been evacuated from their homes as the wildfire spread dangerously close to four neighbourhoods May 14. The evacuation comes eight years after a wildfire swept through the northeastern Alberta community, destroying approximately 2,400 homes.

The Fort McMurray neighbourhoods of Beacon Hill, Abasand, Prairie Creek and Grayling Terrace were issued the evacuation order just after 2 p.m. May 14. An evacuation alert remains in effect for the rest of Fort McMurray as well as Saprae Creek Estates, Gregoire Lake Estates, Fort McMurray First Nation, Anzac, and Rickards Landing Industrial Park.

The wildfire spread northeast May 15 and was only 5.5 kilometres from the Fort McMurray landfill and 4.5 kilometres from the intersection of highways 63 and 881, Alberta Wildfire said in its latest update. The fire had consumed more than 51,000 acres of forest as of early May 15, nearly doubling in size from the day prior.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith noted that Fort McMurray residents are likely suffering an increased level of anguish because of 2016’s blaze.

“As residents rushed to leave their homes, I know that this will bring back difficult memories from the devastating fires of 2016, and I’m sure these memories will create fear and uncertainty for many in Fort McMurray,” she said during a news conference May 15. “My sympathy is with everyone facing this situation but safety must remain our top priority.”

Alberta Wildfire information unit manager Christie Tucker said conditions remain extreme despite the cooler temperatures and weaker winds.

“Active fire behaviour is expected today but it should be less than what we saw yesterday thanks to cooler temperature and weaker winds,” Ms. Tucker said during the press conference. “Winds from the northwest at 10 kilometres an hour are expected today which should push the fire away from Fort McMurray and Highway 63.”

She said the cause of the wildfire remains under investigation.

Alberta Wildfire has dispatched 117 firefighters and 14 helicopters to the region to battle the out of control blaze, reads the May 15 evening update from Alberta Wildfire.

Firefighters are currently working on structure protection in the Abasand neighbourhood and protection has also been put in place for the Prairie Creek and Beacon Hill neighbourhoods, as well as on the Rickards Landing Industrial Park, Gregoire Lake Estates and Gregoire Lake 176, the agency said.

There are currently 44 active wildfires in the province

Manitoba

A fire in the northwestern region of Manitoba remains roughly 1.5 kilometres from the small town of Cranberry Portage since an evacuation order was issued over the weekend.

A provincial bulletin issued May 15 indicated the province does not yet have an estimated date for when the 580 evacuees will be allowed to return home. The fire remains roughly 78,000 acres in size.

Crews from Ontario are on site to help battle the blaze and additional firefighters will arrive from Quebec and New Brunswick later this week. But Mother Nature could lend crews a helping hand with rain and cool temperatures in the forecast throughout the long weekend.

Premier Kinew Wab, who toured the area affected by wildfire via helicopter May 14, also dropped in at The Pas to speak with evacuees. The Pas is a community about an hour’s drive south of Cranberry Portage.

“We will make sure that firefighters and first responders have the resources they need to fight the fire and protect your communities,” he said in a May 14 statement. “And we will be there with funds and supports today and in the weeks to come for families who have been impacted.”

The fire, which was first detected last week near Flin Flon by the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border, was started by lightning and exacerbated by very dry conditions and strong winds over the weekend.

The wildfire has yet to pose a threat to Flin Flon, but it has cut cell phone service and internet access to the town of roughly 5,000.