Alberta Health Services has issued an Air Quality Advisory due to the many wildfires in their North Zone. AHS advises people in the area to monitor whether they can smell smoke, and if they can to minimize physical activity outdoors and to remain indoors with windows and vents closed.
In the Lac La Biche area, there are three small wildfires east of the hamlet, all considered under control and the large Cold Lake Air Weapons Range fire burning out of control 100 kilometres east, last reported to be 17,483 hectares.
About 250 firefighters, staff and equipment operators are working to fight the weapons range fire, with 17 helicopters and some air tanker planes.
Currently, firefighters are trying to keep the fire from spreading south toward Marie Lake, and to prevent it from crossing Ken Baker Road to the northwest and reaching Cenovus' Foster Creek facilities.
The fire claimed one life on May 22, when water bomber fighting the blaze crashed and killed a 38-year-old BC pilot, William Alexander Garvie Hilts.
Many other oilfield operations have been fully or partially evacuated or shut down due to wildfires. Canadian Natural evacuated workers from the Primrose in situ project and temporarily shut down production on May 23, and also lowered production at their Kirby South facility.
Remote oilfield work north of the bombing range has also been affected. MEG Energy has evacuated non-essential staff from its Christina Lake facility, 150 kilometres north of Lac La Biche, and is working to shut down the operation entirely, due to an 1,400 hectare out-of-control wildfire in the Pony Creek area, west of Chard and north of Conklin.
Statoil has evacuated all non-essential personnel from its Leismer facility 200 kilometres south of Fort McMurray, but has not stopped production. Cenovus has also shut down construction on a work camp near Narrows Lake, south of Fort McMurray, adjoining a future oilfield project that has not yet entered production. They have also shut down and evacuated workers from the Birch Mountain natural gas plant near Fort McKay.
As of this morning, a 208 hectare wildfire northeast of Wabasca, in the MD of Opportunity, is being held by firefighters, and it is not expected to grow under current weather conditions. That fire had forced the evacuation of several ten hundred people in the Wabasca area over the past week. The evacuation order for Wabasca and most of Bigstone Cree Nation was lifted last night, though some Bigstone Cree residents are still under evacuation order.
