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Alberta wildfire smoke blows north

Nick Pearce
0803wildfire13
Photo courtesy of Lotti Derungs Smoke rises into the sky near Bluefish Dam, where a raven allegedly hitting a power transformer led to a forest fire. Yellowknifers witnessed an hour-long power outage as a result of the blaze.

Smoke from fires raging near High Level, Alta., blew into the North on Sunday, according to FireSmoke Canada.

Alberta Fire issued a wildfire alert on May 19 for High Level, advising residents to remain vigilant and review family safety procedures. The town, which is roughly 740 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, is under no immediate threat, stated the 1 p.m. alert.

Alberta's entire Slave Lake Forest Area is facing an extreme fire danger level, owing to dry conditions and strong winds. This can all lead to an intense, fast-spreading burn, stated a provincial release.

Smoke from fires burning in northern Alberta was blowing into the Northwest Territories on Sunday, according to FireSmoke Canada. There are currently no forest fires reported in the Northwest Territories but a noticeable smoky smell in the North Slave region. NNSL file photo

There are currently no active fires listed for the NWT, according to the territory's Fire Live Map. However, the North Slave Lake region is at medium to high risk of fire following dry conditions. Risk is further expected to increase over the May long weekend, rising to high and extreme levels on Victoria Day.

In these conditions, residents and campers in the territory should ensure their fires are fully extinguished. People are encouraged to remove fine fuels, such as dry leaves and needles, from their roofs and gutters, exposed foundation walls, and from under porches and decks. Left unchecked, the fuel can easily spread and carry fire states NWT Fire on its Facebook page.