Alberta Wildfire Information Unit Manager Christie Tucker says 173 wildfires are burning in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta (FPAA). Tucker said 54 of these wildfires are out of control, 47 are being held, and 72 are under control. “Many parts of the province saw rain over the past day, which has lowered wildfire behaviour,” said Tucker at a Friday press conference. “In fact, we had no new wildfire starts recorded yesterday.” Because Alberta had no new wildfire starts, she said it gives firefighters time to make progress containing these fires before conditions dry out. She added Alberta Wildfire continues to welcome firefighters to the province to assist with the wildfire situation. One-hundred firefighters arrived from Mexico on Thursday, and they will be heading off to High Level. In the next few days, firefighters will be arriving from South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. She confirmed details are being finalized about aid from the Canadian Armed Forces, and these discussions are being held now. Alberta Wildfire worked with many of these agencies in the last wildfire season. Since Alberta is seeing extreme fire danger in southern Alberta, she said it means it is easy for new fires to start and spread. Parks Canada officials have said the rain in the area should keep fire behaviour low over the weekend. She pledged to continue to support Parks Canada and the Municipality of Jasper as they fight the wildfire. She said this “is our top priority wildfire in the province, and we will share resources as we need to make progress as the wildfire activity subdued.” Tucker concluded by saying people should continue to respect the fire ban in the FPAA. This is because it is meant to prevent more wildfires so Alberta Wildfire can focus on the situation at hand. Alberta Emergency Management Agency (AEMA) Managing Director Stephen Lacroix said the wildfire situation continues to be challenging.“While the recent rains have made a difference, hot and dry conditions are expected to return over the weekend into next week,” said Lacroix. “This means Albertans will need to stay vigilant and follow all fire bans to avoid new fire starts.” Lacroix said the AEMA continues to work with Parks Canada, the Municipality of Jasper, and other agencies. It has deployed six field officers to Hinton and has integrated them into the incident management team on the ground. Tucker followed up by saying there is a fire advisory in place in southern Alberta. “That just means that firefighters and teams on the ground are exceptionally aware of the danger of what could happen and the greater chance that a wildfire could move quickly or change quickly,” she said. “That is very much on firefighters’ minds and our teams when they are out there.” She said she is concerned about wildfires from the recreational areas in southern Alberta. Her team has received a number of calls from people asking if they can do fires because of the rain. Jasper caught on fire on Wednesday, with a popular lodge and many other buildings in the town up in flames.READ MORE: UPDATED: Town of Jasper ablaze, fire reaches historic Park Lodge, military on the wayParks Canada Incident Commander Katie Ellsworth and Municipality of Jasper Incident Commander Christine Nadon confirmed parts of the southern wildfire in Jasper National Park have found their way into the town’s limits. “At just before 6 p.m. this evening, portions of the South Fire in Jasper National Park reached the outskirts of the Jasper townsite after being driven by strong winds gusts from the south and southeast,” said Ellsworth and Nadon.
