2019 Alberta wildfires

2019 Alberta wildfires
Satellite photo taken on May 19, 2019, of wildfires ravaging portions of Northern Alberta.
Date(s)March 1 – December 23, 2019
LocationNorthern and Central Alberta, Canada
Statistics
Total fires1005 [1][2]
Burned area883,413.70 hectares (2,182,963 acres)[1]
Impacts
Structures destroyed16[3] and a CN railway bridge.[4]
Ignition
CauseLightning, Human

The 2019 Alberta wildfires have been described by NASA as part of an extreme fire season in the province.[5] In 2019 there were a total of 803,393.32 hectares (1,985,228 acres),[1][6][7][8] which is over 3.5 times more land area burned than in the five-year average burned.[9] The five year average is 747 fires destroying 146,360.08 hectares (361,664 acres).[1] There were 644 wildfires recorded in Alberta.[10][7] By May 31, 10,000 people had been evacuated, 16 homes,[3] and the Steen River CN railway bridge, had been destroyed.

The department of Agriculture and Forestry's Forest Protection Division reported that by May 31, there were 29 wildfires still burning with nine out-of-control fires.[6] As of June 20, there are a total of 27 wildfires burning with 6 being considered out of control.[2][11] Of these, five were caused by humans and two by lightning with 20 still under investigation.[6]

On May 30, NASA reported that the Terra satellite's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) had collected satellite images of five large "hot spots" on May 29. The fire danger level of four of these five areas—the Steen River wildfire HWF066, the Chuckegg Creek wildfire HWF042, the Peace River area, and the Slave Lake area—was extreme. The fifth, at Wood Buffalo National Park was designated as very high.[5]

One fire, described as a fast growing "monster",[12] the Chuckegg Creek Fire HWF042—unofficially known as the High Level fire—had forced the evacuation of 5,000 people in the High Level Forest Area, northern Alberta, and had burned 2,300 km2 (570,000 acres) by May 30[13] and 237,000 hectares by the evening of May 31.[14]

According to Alberta's Department of Agriculture and Forestry (AAF), the Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta (FRIAA) FireSmart program, Alberta communities are under an increased risk of forest fires because fifty per cent of Alberta is covered in forests and because of Alberta's "wildland urban interface" (WUI) —where many communities are nested into forests with buildings and forested areas intertwined.[15] The province's designated Forest Protection Area stretches from north to south of the province along the western border with British Columbia.[16]

For purposes of monitoring, the Alberta's wildfire status map subdivides the Forest Protection Area into these areas: Calgary, Edson, Fort McMurray area, Grande Prairie, High Level, Lac La Biche, Peace River, Slave Lake, and Whitecourt.[17]

There was smoke from Alberta's wildfires over southern Alberta, southern B.C. Interior and the Lower Mainland, including the city of Vancouver as well as the U.S. Pacific Northwest,[12] reaching as far south as Denver, Colorado. Air quality in cities such as Edmonton and Calgary, reached 10+ out of 10 rating, which is considered to be a severe risk.[18][19]

  1. ^ a b c d "Alberta Wildfire and Prescribed Burn Sitrep (June 24, 2019 @ 10:00hrs)". Alberta Wildfire. Government of Alberta. June 24, 2019. Archived from the original on June 18, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Alberta Wildfire and Prescribed Burn Sitrep (June 19, 2019 @ 10:00hrs)". Alberta Wildfire. Government of Alberta. June 19, 2019. Archived from the original on June 18, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2019. According to the Alberta Wildfire and Prescribed Burn Sitrep, there were a total of 996 fires in 2019.
  3. ^ a b Derworiz, Colette (May 31, 2019). "10,000 people forced out, 16 homes destroyed by Alberta wildfires". Global News. The Canadian Press. Archived from the original on June 12, 2019. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  4. ^ "As highway closure continues, CN Rail confirms Steen River railway bridge has burned". CBC/Radio-Canada. CBC News. May 29, 2019. Archived from the original on June 20, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Jenner, Lynn (May 30, 2019). "Alberta Canada Experiencing an Extreme Fire Season" (Text). NASA. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
  6. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference activeld_20190531_AM was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference AB_20190528_WWF was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference CTV_Edmonton_20190530 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference globalnews_Weber_20190531 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference Your_Alberta_20190530 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference activeld_20190601_7AM was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference globalnews_20190528 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ "Out-of-control Alberta wildfire near High Level surges in size to 2,300 square kilometres". Global News. May 30, 2019. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  14. ^ Dwilson, Stephanie Dube (May 31, 2019). "Maps and Evacuations for Alberta, Pikangikum & More". Heavy. Canada Forest Fires Near Me. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
  15. ^ "FRIAA FireSmart Program". Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta. May 15, 2017. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
  16. ^ "Emergency response and recovery" (PDF). Government of Alberta. May 3, 2017. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  17. ^ "2019 Wildfire Status Map". AAF - Agriculture and Forestry. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  18. ^ "Air quality in Edmonton peaked at a 72 Thursday night on a scale of one to 10". Edmonton. May 31, 2019. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference CTV_20190527 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).