Fire Updates - Morgan Heights - McKinlay Crescent

Please be careful driving in Timberlea. The change in temperature is causing the wildfire smoke to become heavier leading to poor visibility. The fire remains contained and secured. Anyone affected by the smoke and air quality, may call AHS Health Link at 811 for assistance.

Stay out of the area if you do not live in the neighbourhood.

AHS guidelines on smoke from wildfire 
AHS Health Information for Air Quality Events
Fort McMurray – Air Quality Health Index 
Government of Canada Wildfire smoke, air quality and your health

The next update will be shared tomorrow. 

The fire in the tree line behind Morgan Heights remains firmly contained and secured. The weekend’s ground suppression efforts and the cold weather mixed with precipitation continue to cool hotspots.

Crews are patrolling the area and closely monitoring the fire. Please stay away from the forested areas near the fire as it is not safe for people.

Anyone affected by the smoke and air quality, may call AHS Health Link at 811 for assistance.

With the fire contained and the significant progress made this weekend, the next update will be shared tomorrow.  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Pulse at 780-743-7000 or at rmwb.ca/pulse. The Pulse team is available 24/7.

The fire remains contained and secured within the fire break. Crews made significant progress today with ground suppression. The work completed today will help prevent new fire growth. Crews continue to closely monitor the fire and are patrolling the area.

The cooler weather overnight may push smoke down, which could impact local visibility. Please remember to stay clear of the area unless you live in the neighbourhood. 

Anyone affected by the smoke and air quality, may call AHS Health Link at 811 for assistance or recommendations.

AHS guidelines on smoke from wildfire 
AHS Health Information for Air Quality Events
Fort McMurray – Air Quality Health Index 
Government of Canada Wildfire smoke, air quality and your health

The next update will be shared tomorrow.

The fire in the tree line behind Morgan Heights continues to be held. Alberta Forestry has been on the scene today putting out hot spots.

The smoke from the fire may hang low to the ground this evening, similar to what was experienced yesterday. Please remember to stay clear of the area unless you live in the neighbourhood.

Anyone affected by the smoke and air quality, may call AHS Health Link at 811 for assistance or recommendations.

AHS guidelines on smoke from wildfire 

AHS Health Information for Air Quality Events

Fort McMurray – Air Quality Health Index 

Government of Canada Wildfire smoke, air quality and your health

The next update will be shared this evening. 

The fire in the tree line behind Morgan Heights continues to be held, with no growth overnight. Alberta Forestry is on scene today, and is supporting in the efforts on the fire. Today crews are focusing on hotspots and in the “duff” also known as forest floor. When actioning fire in the duff layer, more smoke can be created, as the fire smoulders.

Smoke is heavier this morning because of the cooler temperatures. Smoke from the fire  may hang low to the ground at night and in the early morning due to a temperature inversion. A temperature inversion is when warm air “caps” cooler air, causing smoke to become heavier at night and in the morning. The trapped smoke generally begins to lift after temperatures rise.

Community members can expect smoke to continue to be present until the fire is naturally extinguished. If the smoke is a concern for you, please keep your windows closed. Anyone affected by the smoke and air quality, may call AHS Health Link at 811 for assistance or recommendations.

AHS guidelines on smoke from wildfire.

Please stay away from the forested areas near the fire. It is not safe for people to be in these locations as there could be hot spots and the trees can fall easily as they are impacted from the fire.

The next update will be shared this evening. 

Thank you to all the first responders, firefighters, and emergency officials who have been working around-the-clock to protect homes and keep everyone safe. To all the community members in the area, thank you for continuing to follow instructions from emergency officials, keeping a safe distance and for all your support this week.

The fire is now firmly contained and secured within the break that is surrounding the entire fire. Crews made significant progress today with ground suppression and reinforcing the firebreak with bulldozers. The work completed today combined with the cold weather and precipitation in the forecast will help prevent new fire growth. Thermal imagery is showing the ground in the area is cooling and the fire is expected to slowly burn in its current location and be extinguished naturally.

Crews continue to closely monitor the fire and are patrolling the area. While some equipment is no longer needed and has been removed from site, the perimeter protecting homes is safely secured and structure protection equipment remains on standby, ready to be deployed. Over the weekend, a ground crew from Alberta Forestry is planning on continuing to put out hot spots.  

Please stay away from the forested areas near the fire. It is not safe for people to be in these locations as there could be hot spots and the trees can fall easily as they’ve been damaged from the fires.  

Community members can expect smoke to continue to be present until the fire is naturally extinguished. Anyone affected by the smoke and air quality, may call AHS Health Link at 811 for assistance.

With the fire contained and the significant progress made today, we will be moving to one daily update.  The next update will be shared tomorrow mid-morning.  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Pulse at 780-743-7000 or at rmwb.ca/pulse. The Pulse team is available 24/7. 

The fire continues to be held and is contained within the break, surrounding the entire fire. Crews are making progress putting out hotspots and the cool weather is helping secure the area.

Community members can expect smoke to continue to be present. Anyone affected by the smoke and air quality, may call AHS Health Link at 811 for assistance.

Please stay away from the forested areas near the fire. It is not safe for people to be in these locations as there could be hot spots and the trees can fall easily as they’ve been damaged from the fires.  

Continue to give crews room to work safely, follow instructions from emergency officials and refrain from entering the area unless it is the street you live on. Increased vehicle traffic and volume can be challenging for first responders and stressful for residents living in the area.

The next update will be shared later this afternoon.  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Pulse at 780-743-7000 or at rmwb.ca/pulse.

The fire is still being held with a well-established perimeter in place to protect all homes in the area. With the drop in temperature, hot spots cooled overnight and are all contained within the fire break.

Today, crews plan on working the perimeter of the fire break with ground suppression and dozers to push the fire inward on itself. Helicopter bucket operations are available on standby.

Please give crews room to work, follow instructions from emergency officials and stay out of the area if you do not live in the neighbourhood.

Updates will be provided throughout the day.

The fire is still being held. Crews will remain on site overnight to closely monitor the situation. The fire break is completed. Fire activity is expected to be quiet overnight, but smoke will continue to be present. Additional resources remain on standby and are ready to respond if the situation changes.

The next update will be provided Friday morning or if the situation changes overnight. If you have questions or concerns, please call Pulse at 780-743-7000. Our Pulse team is available 24/7. If you need urgent assistance, always call 9-1-1.

Please continue to keep a safe distance, give crews room to work and stay out of the area if you do not live in the neighbourhood.

The dozers have completed the work to reinforce and strengthen the fire break which now fully surrounds the fire. The fire continues to be held as crews focus on securing the perimeter for the night. Two helicopters will continue to drop buckets of water until nightfall. At this time, the fire is not threatening the perimeter protecting homes.

As the sun sets, fire activity can look more dangerous, and smoke can also become heavier. This does not mean that the fire is growing or spreading.

The wind continues to shift directions, with intermittent gusts. Anyone affected by the smoke and air quality, may call AHS Health Link at 811 for assistance.

Please remember to give emergency crews room to work safely, and refrain from entering the area unless it is the street you live on. Increased vehicle traffic and volume can be challenging for first responders and stressful for residents living in the area.

The next update will be shared later this evening.  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Pulse at 780-743-7000 or at rmwb.ca/pulse.

The fire continues to be held with ongoing work to further strengthen the perimeter and keep the fire away from homes. At this time, the fire is not threatening the perimeter and additional resources are ready to be deployed to reinforce the protections in place if the situation changes.

Crews have successfully established a large fire break, with three additional bulldozers being added to response. The dozers continue to reinforce and strengthen the break. A Sherp ATV has also been added to help crews navigate difficult terrain and get better access to the fire. Thank you to our industry partners for providing these resources and supporting the response.    

The wind continues to shift directions, with intermittent gusts. Two helicopters continue to drop buckets of water and crews are extinguishing hot spots by hand to help ensure the wind does not increase the size of the fire.  

Community members can expect smoke to continue to be present and anyone being affected by air quality may call AHS Health Link at 811 for assistance.

We recognize that community members are experiencing a wide range of emotions and reactions to an ongoing fire near their homes. There are many public and professional mental health resources available in the region for anyone who needs support. A quick reference list is available on the webpage.

Please give crews room to work, follow instructions from emergency officials and stay out of the area if you do not live in the neighbourhood.

The next update will be shared this evening.  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Pulse at 780-743-7000 or at rmwb.ca/pulse  

The fire is still being held and has split into two sections with the north section moving away residential areas and the south section moving towards a previously burnt area. Ground fire suppression and helicopter bucket operations are in progress, while the dozer continues to expand the firebreak and strengthen the perimeter around homes.  

The wind is expected to continue blowing smoke towards residential areas. Anyone affected by the smoke and air quality, may call AHS Health Link at 811 for assistance.

DO NOT fly personal drones near the fire. With helicopter operations in progress, this creates a very serious safety risk. Please give crews room to work, follow instructions from emergency officials and stay out of the area if you do not live in the neighbourhood.

Fire investigators determined the fire was human caused. There have been 5 human caused fires in the region over the last 48 hours. Conditions are very dry and anyone using the trails, OHVs or having a campfire is urgently reminded to do so responsibly and diligently.

Regular updates will continue throughout the day. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Pulse at 780-743-7000 or at rmwb.ca/pulse  

Crews continued fire suppression overnight and used a bulldozer to extend the firebreak on the west side. The fire is still being held with a well-established perimeter in place to protect all homes in the area.  Community members can expect more smoke to be present today as the wind is blowing towards residential areas. Helicopter bucket operations and ground fire suppression will continue throughout the day. Please give crews room to work, follow instructions from emergency officials and stay out of the area if you do not live in the neighbourhood.

Updates will be provided throughout the day.  

The fire is still being held and there is no evacuation order in place. The situation is being closely monitored overnight, with crews remaining on site. There are 7 sprinkler systems in place that will remain in use all night to keep the perimeter around homes safe and secure. A bulldozer created a larger firebreak and will continue to be used tomorrow to strengthen the perimeter and keep the fire away from residential areas. Tomorrow, helicopter bucket operations and ground fire suppression will continue – it is not safe to perform these operations at night. Its expected that fire activity will be quiet overnight, but smoke will continue to be present. Additional resources remain on standby and are ready to respond overnight if the situation changes.

Fire investigators determined the fire was human caused and the general area of origin. Please use caution if having a campfire or using an OHV as conditions are very dry. Alberta Forestry is reporting the wildfire risk as high in the Fort McMurray Forest Protected Area.

The next update will be provided tomorrow morning or if the situation changes overnight. If you have questions or concerns, please call Pulse at 780-743-7000. Our Pulse team is available 24/7. If you need urgent assistance, always call 9-1-1.

Community members can expect the response to continue until precipitation and colder temperatures naturally extinguish the fire. The joint response to the fire is being coordinated from a mobile command unit on McKinley Crescent and includes multiple firefighting crews, deputy chiefs, battalion chiefs, emergency management members, an information officer, Bylaw officers, partners from Alberta Forestry and the RCMP.

Please continue to keep a safe distance, give crews room to work and stay out of the area if you do not live in the neighbourhood.  

There is no evacuation order in place. Crews remain on-site, with a well-established perimeter in place to protect nearby homes. Crews are now using a dozer to further strengthen the perimeter and create a larger fire break. There continues to be no immediate risk to residential areas.

A more detailed update will be shared this evening. Please use trusted, official information sources to share information with others.

The fire continues to be held with sprinkler systems and a well-established perimeter in place to protect residential areas. The fire is expected to continue burning until precipitation and colder temperatures naturally extinguish it. Regional Emergency Services is working closely with Alberta Forestry and helicopter bucket operations are in progress to extinguish hot spots near the perimeter.

Community members can expect smoke to be present and crews to remain on scene for the next few days, but there continues to be no immediate risk to nearby properties. The next update will be shared this evening and all updates are now available at rmwb.ca/fireupdate . Subscribe to this webpage to be notified when a new update is posted.

For more information please contact 780-743-7000 or follow us on social media.