2024 Canadian wildfires

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2024 Canadian wildfires
Fires advancing near Fort Nelson, British Columbia, Canada - May 12th, 2024 (53719620330).jpg
Fires advancing near Fort Nelson, British Columbia, Canada - May 12th, 2024
Date(s)February 2024-present
Location British Columbia
Alberta

About 150 fires from the 2023 wildfire season managed to continue smouldering underground over the relatively low-snow winter, and re-ignite as early as February 2024. [1]

Contents

In May 2024, more wildfires broke out in western Canada. [2] The provinces of Alberta and British Columbia are affected. [3]

The fires threaten Canada's largest oilfields. [4] Fort McMurray is particularly affected. [5] The neighbourhoods of Beacon Hill, Abasand, Prairie Creek and Grayling Terrace were ordered to evacuate. [6] The size of an area under an evacuation order in Grande Prairie County was reduced. [7] Alberta Highway 63 was gridlocked as residents attempt to evacuate the city. [8] Edmonton has been affected by smoke and poor air quality. [9]

In British Columbia, wildfires threaten the town of Fort Nelson. [10] The Parker Lake fire blocked a highway. [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alberta</span> Province of Canada

Alberta is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta borders British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Territories to the north, and the U.S. state of Montana to the south. It is one of the only two landlocked provinces in Canada, with Saskatchewan being the other. The eastern part of the province is occupied by the Great Plains, while the western part borders the Rocky Mountains. The province has a predominantly continental climate but experiences quick temperature changes due to air aridity. Seasonal temperature swings are less pronounced in western Alberta due to occasional Chinook winds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort McMurray</span> Place in Alberta, Canada

Fort McMurray is an urban service area in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo in Alberta, Canada. It is located in northeast Alberta, in the middle of the Athabasca oil sands, surrounded by boreal forest. It has played a significant role in the development of the national petroleum industry. The 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire led to the evacuation of its residents and caused widespread damage.

CFRN-DT is a television station in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, part of the CTV Television Network. It is owned and operated by network parent Bell Media alongside cable-exclusive CTV 2 Alberta. The two outlets share studios with sister radio station CFRN on Stony Plain Road in Edmonton; CFRN-DT's transmitter is located near Highway 21, southeast of Sherwood Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Alberta Railways</span> Railway in Alberta and British Columbia, Canada

Northern Alberta Railways was a Canadian railway which served northern Alberta and northeastern British Columbia. Jointly owned by both Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway, NAR existed as a separate company from 1929 until 1981.

Alberta Provincial Highway No. 2, commonly referred to as Highway 2 or the Queen Elizabeth II Highway, is a major highway in Alberta that stretches from the Canada–United States border through Calgary and Edmonton to Grande Prairie. Running primarily north to south for approximately 1,273 kilometres (791 mi), it is the longest and busiest highway in the province carrying more than 170,000 vehicles per day near Downtown Calgary. The Fort Macleod—Edmonton section forms a portion of the CANAMEX Corridor that links Alaska to Mexico. More than half of Alberta's 4 million residents live in the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor created by Highway 2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slave Lake</span> Town in Alberta, Canada

Slave Lake is a town in northern Alberta, Canada that is surrounded by the Municipal District of Lesser Slave River No. 124. It is approximately 255 km (158 mi) northwest of Edmonton. It is located on the southeast shore of Lesser Slave Lake at the junction of Highway 2 and Highway 88.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alberta Highway 43</span> Highway in Alberta

Alberta Provincial Highway No. 43, commonly referred to as Highway 43, is a major highway in northern and central Alberta, Canada that connects Edmonton to the British Columbia border via the Peace Country, forming the northernmost portion of the CANAMEX Corridor in Alberta. It stretches approximately 495 km (308 mi) from Highway 16 near Manly Corner west of Edmonton to the British Columbia border west of Demmitt. It is designated as a core route in Canada's National Highway System, comprising a portion of a key international corridor that stretches from Alaska into Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alberta Highway 63</span> Highway in Alberta

Alberta Provincial Highway No. 63, commonly referred to as Highway 63, is a 434-kilometre (270 mi) highway in northern Alberta, Canada that connects the Athabasca oil sands and Fort McMurray to Edmonton via Highway 28. It begins as a two-lane road near the hamlet of Radway where it splits from Highway 28, running north through aspen parkland and farmland of north central Alberta. North of Boyle, it curves east to pass through the hamlet of Grassland and becomes divided west of Atmore where it again turns north, this time through heavy boreal forest and muskeg, particularly beyond Wandering River. Traffic levels significantly increase as Highway 63 bends through Fort McMurray, crossing the Athabasca River before connecting the city to the Syncrude and Suncor Energy plants further north. It ends approximately 16 km (10 mi) beyond a second crossing of the Athabasca River northeast of Fort McKay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Alberta</span> Geographic region of Alberta, Canada

Northern Alberta is a geographic region located in the Canadian province of Alberta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alberta Junior Hockey League</span> Ice hockey league in Alberta, Canada

The Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) is an Alberta-based Junior A ice hockey league that belongs to the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). It was formed as a five-team league in 1964. The 2023–24 season began with 16 teams, however 5 teams did not finish the season after it was announced that they planned to join the BCHL in the 2024–25 season. The regular season league champions receive the Dave Duchak Trophy. The playoff champions receive the Inter Pipeline Cup. The winner of the AJHL playoffs continues on to play in the Centennial Cup tournament, which determines Canadian Junior A champion.

A large wildfire burned through Slave Lake, Alberta, Canada and its surrounding area from May 14 to 16, 2011. The conflagration, which originated 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) outside of town as a forest fire, was quickly pushed past fire barriers designed to protect the town by 100-kilometre-per-hour (60 mph) winds. The fire forced the complete evacuation of Slave Lake's 7,000 residents—considered the largest such displacement in the province's history at the time—to the nearby towns of Athabasca and Westlock, as well as the provincial capital of Edmonton. No casualties were reported amongst the town's population, but a pilot was killed when his helicopter crashed while he was battling the fires around the community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richardson Fire</span> 2011 Forest fire in Alberta, Canada

The Richardson Fire was a 2011 forest fire in the Canadian province of Alberta. It was located north of the city of Fort McMurray in an area known as the Richardson Backcountry. The fire started in mid-May 2011, and burned over 700,000 hectares of boreal forest. It threatened facilities in the Athabasca oil sands, and resulted in several evacuations and shutdowns. Firefighting efforts included agencies from several Canadian provinces as well as international crews. The Richardson fire was the largest fire in Alberta since the 1950 Chinchaga Fire, and the second largest recorded fire in the province's history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Spray</span> Canadian company specialized in wildfire suppression

Air Spray (1967) Ltd. trading as Air Spray Ltd. of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and Air Spray USA Inc of Chico, California is a private company specializing in aerial wildfire suppression using air tanker or water bomber aircraft. Air Spray was owned and operated by Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame inductee, Donald T. Hamilton until his death in 2011. The company continued to be owned and operated by his daughter, Lynn Hamilton, of Foothills, Alberta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Canadian wildfires</span> Wildfire outbreak

2015 Canadian wildfires were a series of wildfires across Canada and Alaska in July 2015 which spread smoke across most of North America. Over two hundred fires were ablaze across British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Alberta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Fort McMurray wildfire</span> Natural disaster in Alberta, Canada

On May 1, 2016, a wildfire began southwest of Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. On May 3, it swept through the community, forcing the largest wildfire evacuation in Alberta's history, with upwards of 88,000 people forced from their homes. Firefighters were assisted by personnel from both the Canadian Armed Forces and Royal Canadian Mounted Police, as well as other Canadian provincial agencies, to fight the wildfire. Aid for evacuees was provided by various governments and via donations through the Canadian Red Cross and other local and national charitable organizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Washington wildfires</span>

The 2017 Washington wildfires were a series of wildfires that burned over the course of 2017, a year that set weather records for heat and aridity in both Western Washington and Eastern Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 British Columbia wildfires</span>

By the end of June 2018, there had been more than 560 wildfires in British Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Alberta wildfires</span>

The 2019 Alberta wildfires have been described by NASA as part of an extreme fire season in the province. In 2019 there were a total of 803,393.32 hectares, which is over 3.5 times more land area burned than in the five-year average burned. The five year average is 747 fires destroying 146,360.08 hectares. There were 644 wildfires recorded in Alberta. By May 31, 10,000 people had been evacuated, 16 homes, and the Steen River CN railway bridge, had been destroyed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Canadian wildfires</span>

Beginning in March 2023, and with increased intensity starting in June, Canada was affected by a record-setting series of wildfires. All 13 provinces and territories were affected, with large fires in Alberta, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Quebec. The 2023 wildfire season had the most area burned in Canada's recorded history, surpassing the 1989, 1995, and 2014 fire seasons, as well as in recorded North American history, surpassing the 2020 Western US wildfire season.

References

  1. Hillary Andrews. "What are 'zombie fires'?". Fox Weather . Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  2. Staff, Al Jazeera. "Evacuation orders issued as wildfire grows near Canada's Alberta oil patch". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  3. "Thousands told to evacuate due to British Columbia, Canada wildfire". BBC News. 2024-05-11. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  4. Austen, Ian (2024-05-15). "Wildfire Approaches Canada's Largest Oil-Producing Area. Again". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2024-05-15. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  5. "Officials to provide updates on Alberta wildfires on Wednesday after Fort McMurray evacuation". Edmonton. 2024-05-15. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  6. "'Most of the city is evacuating': Gridlock on Alberta highway after evacuation order in Fort McMurray". Edmonton. 2024-05-14. Archived from the original on 2024-05-17. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  7. "Size of area under evacuation in County of Grande Prairie reduced". Edmonton. 2024-05-14. Archived from the original on 2024-05-15. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  8. "'Most of the city is evacuating': Gridlock on Alberta highway after evacuation order in Fort McMurray". Edmonton. 2024-05-14. Archived from the original on 2024-05-14. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  9. "Alberta Wildfires | Edmonton smoke | Edmonton air quality". edmonton.ctvnews.ca. Archived from the original on 2024-05-16. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  10. Cecco, Leyland (2024-05-13). "British Columbia 'extremely concerned' as wildfire threatens to destroy town". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2024-05-17. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  11. "Plumes of wildfire smoke block Canadian motorway". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2024-05-17. Retrieved 2024-05-15.

See also