Over 100 firefighters are working to battle a pair of out-of-control wildfires northeast of Calling Lake, which burned through a total 11,385 hectares May 21-28.
Jointly dubbed the Rock Island Lake complex, wildfire information officer Shannon Stambaugh said an incident management team was established to address the blaze.
Wildfire LWF-099 is located about 24 kilometres northeast of Calling Lake, while LWF-119 is about 12 kilometres east of 099, just west of the Athabasca River.
Stambaugh said 35 overhead staff, 117 firefighters – including 21 each from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick – 14 helicopters, and nine pieces of heavy equipment were sent to fight the fire May 28.
“It’s a big operation, it really is,” she said in an interview, adding that the incident management team is a Type 1 team, “so one of the top management teams in the province.”
“We’ve got the right number of people, and an amazing incident management team,” she said.
Stambaugh also said the fires were expected to grow May 28; a May 29 update stated there was no growth of either wildfire though they both remain classified as out of control.
The Municipal District of Opportunity Emergency Management also said in a May 24 Facebook post the wildfires are not directly threatening the hamlets of Calling Lake and Sandy Lake.
“To the residents within the Hamlets of Sandy Lake and Calling Lake: there is no threat to any of the communities and the fire has not progressed any closer to Highway 813,” the Facebook post read. “There is no evacuation or any evacuation warning at this time.”
Calling Lake prepares
M.D. of Opportunity caretaker Janice Gambler said people in the Calling Lake community have been working to ensure people stay calm about the fire.
“Everybody’s just talking to each other and making sure we’re alright and that we just pack whatever we need,” Gambler said. “With a large fire like this, it’s very unsure where the wind is going to shift if we’re going to get rain or anything like that. So just making sure our elders are not getting stressed.”
Gambler said she has just been informing people to have necessities prepared in case the wildfire situation changes.
“Just to make sure they’re prepared and they have all the necessities they need, just in case,” Gambler said. “Right now, we’re just hopeful the firefighters will do their job.”
The Lac La Biche Forest area has had a total of 125 wildfires and 13,534.05 hectares burned since March 1, according to the May 27 area update. The wildfire status map notes that both are believed to have started due to lightning.
The fire located north, closest to Calling Lake has expanded from 1,000 hectares May 22 to burn through 7,800 hectares as of publication deadline May 28, according to Stambaugh.
Stambaugh also said in an email the second wildfire had burned through approximately 3,885 hectares as of May 28. In an update May 29, Stambaugh said the southeast side of 119 is still active, and would be fought with air tankers.
– With files from Allendria Brunjes
