There are currently 78 active wildfires burning in Alberta, 19 of which have been listed as "out of control," Alberta Wildfire said on Friday..Help is on the way from out of province to contain the fires and residents are advised to remain calm.."I'm speaking to you today from the provincial Emergency Coordination Center, where our provincial staff and many partners have gathered to help Albertans stay safe, as wildfire conditions persist throughout the province," said Stephen Lacroix, managing director of Alberta Emergency Management Agency.."I'd like to share my sympathy with the people who have lost everything in the fires. This is a stark reminder of just how unpredictable and powerful wildfires can be.".Lacroix said the situation is "very serious."."I want to issue a warning to all Albertans with active fires in their area. Please listen to all officials or local officials and obey any evacuation orders you may receive," Lacroix said..Residents are advised to follow the Alberta emergency alert application and website and your local municipality for registration information and available services. Alberta 511 also provides up-to-date highway closures and conditions.."Many communities are affected by 30,000 Albertans evacuated from their homes as we speak," Lacroix said. "We're working with federal, provincial and municipal partners to deliver emergency support through this evolving and extremely fluid situation.".Fires Burning.Of the 78 fires burning, there are three wildfires of note in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta..At 11:42 a.m. on Friday, a new alert for Leduc County was issued..The wildfire alert is in effect for everyone from Range Road 41 east to Range Road 35 and from Township Road 494 north to Township Road 495. The affected area is approximately seven kilometres north and eight kilometres west of the Village of Warburg..The wildfire remains contained and crews are on the scene monitoring for flare-ups. .High winds are anticipated this afternoon, which may cause conditions to deteriorate quickly. The evacuation of the area is still in effect. Range Road 40 between Township Road 494 and Township Road 495 is closed..If you have evacuated, please register with Leduc County by calling 780-955-4546. Avoid the area and follow the instructions of emergency personnel..HWF-030 wildfire is located in the community of Fox Lake. This wildfire is classified as "Out of Control" at 1,458 hectares. There are 36 firefighters, three helicopters, local firefighters, and heavy equipment working to extinguish the blaze..Air tankers will be supporting firefighters today, as requested..Overnight firefighters were able to work the southeast side of the fire putting out flames and hotspots. Heavy equipment worked to complete fire guards around nearby homes as well..On Friday, morning crews reported active open flame on the northeast corner of the fire. This area of the fire will be the priority for crews on Friday. On the west side of the fire, the retardant lines laid down by the air tankers were effective in preventing further spread towards the community..The forecast is calling for a temperature of 27C and winds south of 15 km/h -20 km/h gusting 35 km/h..Little Red River Cree Nation evacuated homes within proximity to fire number HWF030. Evacuees were instructed to go to the Fox Lake Band office or call 1-888-201-3053..HWF-036 Wildfire is located near the community of Rainbow Lake. This wildfire is 400 hectares in size. Currently 18 firefighters, two helicopters and eight pieces of heavy equipment are currently working on the wildfire. Heavy bucketing helicopters are re-positioning to the High-Level area to assist. An additional two-dozen firefighters and an incident management team have been dispatched..WCU-002 Wildfire is approximately 7 km northwest of Evansburg on both sides of Highway 22, and 3 km north of Highway 16. This wildfire is classified as "out of control" at 2,300 ha in size..On Friday, a total of 14 pieces of heavy equipment and six helicopters will be assisting 64 firefighters, additional firefighters are expected to arrive today..An incident management team from Alberta Wildfire assumed command of the incident on Thursday night. A structural protection unit has been deployed at the wildfire and is working with Yellowhead County..The county lifted the evacuation order and residents are returning to their homes.."We were able to conduct nighttime operations overnight using night vision technology, which allows us to fight wildfire around the clock," said Christie Tucker, information unit manager, at Alberta Wildfire..We assisted in the evacuations that were being carried out of 115 people yesterday using two of our helicopters to get the remaining residents to safety in Rainbow Lake. High-Level area, we do have a team working on that fire as well.".Managing the fire, it is currently moving away from the community, but it's something that's again a priority for firefighters," Tucker noted.."We have a few new starts we are watching and we are going to make sure we have enough resources today to show them where the priorities are as they develop. As I said this is a rapidly changing situation today.".Tucker said it's early in the day and it's going to get hotter.."It's going to get windy here and we're expecting some extreme wildfire behaviour. So firefighters are also ready today for what can be a very challenging day. We have firefighters coming into the province today," Tucker said.."Through an agreement with our colleagues in Ontario. The Canadian Inter-agency Forest Fire Centre, they are sending 79 firefighters arriving today and we have requests for more assistance. We will assign all resources when they are needed most as soon as they're ready to go.".UCP leader Danielle Smith said the government is keeping a "close eye" on the wildfires which continue to burn in Alberta.."One of the things that I knew going into the election was we were entering wildfire season so I wanted to make sure if there was anything that elevated I was in the loop and also the official opposition leader would also be in the loop," Smith said during an interview on Global News Calgary on Friday.."So yesterday we had to increase the risk to level three because we are seeing some wildfires that are burning and threatening communities. Drayton Valley I believe is the latest to have been evacuated.".Smith also mentioned she wants Albertans to know that the UCP government has officials leading this effort.."They'll be doing regular updates on the website go to alberta.ca and check out wildfire update. And then they'll also have the officials doing a regular daily update as long as the risk stays elevated," Smith said.."So, just wanted people to have some certainty that it's been taken care of that our teams are integrating, and we're keeping a really close eye on that.".As 78 wildfires burn in Alberta out of control, a new restriction has been placed on off highway vehicle's (OHV) for operation in the Forest Protection Area..A fire ban and off-highway vehicle restriction are now in effect for the Forest Protection Area of Alberta..That means no wood fires are allowed on public or private land within the area, including backyards. The recreational use of off-highway vehicles on public land, including on designated OHV trails, is also prohibited. Municipalities outside of the Forest Protection Area are implementing their own fire bans and restrictions..Alberta dealt with a total of 348 fires since January 1.
