A wildfire burning near Fort McMurray in northeastern Alberta has been downgraded to “being held” status, as it has not grown and is not expected to threaten the community or infrastructure. The closest point of the fire remains about 5.5 kilometers from the Fort McMurray landfill and 4.5 kilometers from the intersection of highways 63 and 881. The wildfire danger is low in the Fort McMurray Forest Area, thanks to cooler temperatures and rain over the past few days. Firefighters and heavy equipment operators have made excellent progress in containing the wildfire, which is now 19,451 hectares in size. The fire is not expected to grow but remains active in the interior of the perimeter. Firefighters are looking for hot spots, digging them up, and extinguishing them, which is a lengthy process that requires time and hard work to complete. While this is all positive news in the fire fight, a fire ban remains in effect for the entire Fort McMurray Forest Area and an off-highway vehicle restriction is in place in the area south of Lake Athabasca. Wildfire officials said once warm and dry conditions return, the interior of the wildfire perimeter will become more active. Pockets of unburnt vegetation may catch on fire and smoke may be visible once again, which is normal and expected. Firefighters, with the support of helicopters, will continue to extinguish hot spots until the wildfire is brought under control. About 6,600 residents were forced to flee Fort McMurray last Tuesday, but evacuation orders were dropped on Saturday morning and residents were allowed to return home. The cause of the wildfire remains under investigation.
Fort McMurray Wildfire Now Under Control
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