As of Wednesday night, Helitac crews from Cypress Hills, the state of Oregon and a pre-suppression crew from Quebec had arrived to help crews battling the Fox Creek wildfire. According to Wednesday’s 8:00 p.m. update from the MD of Greenview, the Fox Creek fire is still considered to be out of control, remaining at 21,568 hectares in size with officials saying precipitation in the area has helped keep the fire from growing. The evacuation order for Fox Creek along with the Hamlet and area of Little Smoky remains in effect.
The Sturgeon Lake and Little Puskwaskau fires had shown minimal activity in the 24 hours leading up to the update. According to officials, the Sturgeon Lake fire stayed at 3,765 hectares in size with the Little Puskwaska fire being reported at 1,189 hectares. According to the MD, an out-of-province incident management team will be arriving later in the week to help, along with more resources and crews.
Parts of the Grizzly Complex are reported to have grown Wednesday. The fire on the southwest side of Grizzly Ridge Wildland Park is reported to have grown southward. However, retardant strips are said to have kept the fire from crossing Highway 33. Officials say an incident response team is expected to help with the cluster of fires that make up the Grizzly Complex.
Crews also continue to monitor the Bald Mountain fire, located 36 kilometres south of the Hamlet of Grovedale. The fire is recorded at approximately 8,362 in size but is said to have recorded no substantial growth. Active fire activity was reported within the burn area, with hot spots reported in areas along the perimeter. Grovedale remains under an evacuation alert, but the MD says Hamlet and the area are “not in imminent danger.”
The MD says a 150-person incident camp and Command trailer will be set up at the DeBolt airstrip with the first two crews expected to arrive Thursday.