As Alberta wildfires rage, concern grows over thunderstorms during rainfall
CBC
As rain falls in parts of Alberta, a special air quality statement remains in effect as officials monitor weather patterns that may lead to more wildfires.
As of Sunday afternoon, 93 wildfires are burning in Alberta. Of the 86 wildfires burning inside forest protection areas, 23 are considered out of control.
There was some progress made in tackling the eagle complex, which is two wildfires in the vicinity of Fox Creek and the Municipal District of Greenview, specifically the community of Little Smoky.
"The eagle complex got about a millimetre of rain over most of that fire — which is not a lot — but we'll take what we can get at this point," Derrick Forsythe, Alberta Wildfire information officer, said in an interview with CBC Sunday from Whitecourt, Alta.
Forsythe said this has allowed crews to work on the perimeter of the fire.
"We're really thankful to most of Albertans who did take the extra care — the ones that went to the forest this weekend," he said.
"We didn't have a lot of new starts, normally this long weekend is a busy time for us every year because there's so many people out on the landscape."
A fire ban and an off-highway vehicle restriction is currently in place across the province's forest protection area.
A dozen parks and recreation areas have been closed, and several other sites are being closely monitored. The list of closures will continue to be updated online.
On Sunday, Fox Creek RCMP announced they would seek charges against a man who became stranded after trying to bypass a wildfire checkpoint on Friday.
The man's truck had gotten stuck in mud and he became surrounded by fire in the vicinity.
"Due to the active fire in the area, it was deemed unsafe for first responders to enter the area. A forestry helicopter attended the location and was able to airlift the male out to safety," a release said.
"While showers will certainly be welcomed by firefighters, we monitor thunderstorms very carefully," Christie Tucker, Alberta Wildfire information unit manager, said during a news conference Saturday.
"Our lightning sensor fire centres across the forest protection area know where lightning has struck," she said.
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