As of 9:45 p.m. on May 19th, the Eagle Fire between Fox Creek and Little Smoky was estimated to be 55,020 hectares. According to the latest report from Alberta Wildfire, the fire was being held at the containment lines on the north side of the town.
The latest update from the Town of Fox Creek reports one bridge has been lost and, “the horizon line we’d all recognize anywhere has changed.” A 20-man crew from New Brunswick is reported to have arrived Thursday to help crews fighting the fire, while on the other side of Highway 43, the Crooked Creek wildfire is estimated to be 28,959 hectares.
According to officials, the Sturgeon Lake Complex wildfires are estimated to be 4,218 and 3,692 hectares as of 9:45 p.m. May 19th. Officials saw growth on the northwest side of the Sturgeon Lake Fire and the northeast side of the Little Puskwaska Fire.
According to Alberta Wildfire, the dense smoke that encompassed the area Thursday, “both helped and hampered firefighting efforts.” The smoke kept the temperature down, which officials say helped limit fire activity, but also limited visibility, making it so only one helicopter could work on bucketing the fire.
The Bald Mountain wildfire, located 50 kilometres south of Grande Prairie, is estimated to be 14,540 hectares. Similar to the Sturgeon Lake Complex, heavy smoke made it so aircraft were unable to work on the fire, however, there was no significant growth reported.