Alberta’s wildfire crisis is spreading to neighbouring provinces after authorities in British Columbia and the NWT issued evacuation orders due to “immediate danger” to life and safety..On the weekend the Peace River Regional District — which encompasses a vast area from Fort St. John to Dawson Creek — issued a pair of evacuation orders in Stoddart Creek and the Tommy Lakes regions. Under the order: “YOU MUST LEAVE THE AREA IMMEDIATELY!” it said in a release. . Peace river evacuation areaPeace river evacuation area .An emergency alert was also issued for the Red Creek region, advising residents to be prepared to leave on a moment’s notice. A wildfire of note is also burning in the Boundary Lake region straddling the Alberta border..The area is sparsely populated and it mostly affects industrial activities including oil and gas and forestry operations. A state of local emergency for the entire region that was issued on May 5 has been extended until May 19.. Alberta wildfire smokeAlberta wildfire smoke reaches the East Coast and Maritimes. .Also, late Sunday just before midnight, the entire town of Hay River in the southern NWT was ordered to evacuate to Yellowknife after a wildfire jumped the river across from the Kátł’odeeche First Nation. Some 4,000 residents are affected. Fire officials told CBC that they expect “significant structural damage” on the reserve.. Hay River firesHay River fires .Hay River is still recovering from floods last spring that devastated the town and washed away homes. A flood warning was rescinded just last week..It comes after a hot weekend that increased the scope of fires in Alberta. The number of active fires jumped to 90 Monday morning from about 81 prior to the weekend, with 23 listed as out of control. The BC government lists 28 fires with nine out of control..Known in industry circles as the ‘Peace River Block’ or alternatively the ‘Deep Basin’, it’s the start of the pipeline that funnels oil and natural gas from the northeastern part of the province into the Alberta mainline gathering system. Much of it is winter access only, which means its inaccessible by road..It also means that most of the rigs and crews have stood down for the annual spring breakup season and it affects mostly pipelines and processing facilities. According to the Canadian Association of Energy Contractors, there were 91 of 439 registered rigs working last week, with 20 of those in northeast BC..Despite the urgency, there have been no reports of damage to oil facilities. Nonetheless, oil producers continue to report impacts from the fires. Although it’s mostly shut ins — some 300,000 barrels of oil equivalent (boe) and more than a billion cubic feet of gas remain shut in — some companies have brought barrels back on line..Calgary-based Vermillion Energy said it had restored about 60% of some 30,000 boe per day in West Central Alberta. It now expects its second quarter production to average 80,000-83,0000 boe compared to a range of 82,000-86,000 boe, which remains unchanged for the year..“We would like to again thank our staff and emergency responders for their tireless work in response to the wildfires. Our thoughts continue to be with our employees, their families, and our neighbours in the local communities during this difficult time.”.Paramount Resources, however, reported that it had to re-shut some 45,000 boe after the third-party Wapiti natural gas plant near Grande Prairie was closed on Friday. The company said it was not aware of any “significant damage or loss to material owned or third-party infrastructure at this time.” .“The situation continues to evolve and Paramount will provide an update once production is substantially restored. Paramount reiterates its gratitude to its personnel and industry partners and all emergency responders and firefighters for their extraordinary efforts in responding to the wildfires.”
Alberta’s wildfire crisis is spreading to neighbouring provinces after authorities in British Columbia and the NWT issued evacuation orders due to “immediate danger” to life and safety..On the weekend the Peace River Regional District — which encompasses a vast area from Fort St. John to Dawson Creek — issued a pair of evacuation orders in Stoddart Creek and the Tommy Lakes regions. Under the order: “YOU MUST LEAVE THE AREA IMMEDIATELY!” it said in a release. . Peace river evacuation areaPeace river evacuation area .An emergency alert was also issued for the Red Creek region, advising residents to be prepared to leave on a moment’s notice. A wildfire of note is also burning in the Boundary Lake region straddling the Alberta border..The area is sparsely populated and it mostly affects industrial activities including oil and gas and forestry operations. A state of local emergency for the entire region that was issued on May 5 has been extended until May 19.. Alberta wildfire smokeAlberta wildfire smoke reaches the East Coast and Maritimes. .Also, late Sunday just before midnight, the entire town of Hay River in the southern NWT was ordered to evacuate to Yellowknife after a wildfire jumped the river across from the Kátł’odeeche First Nation. Some 4,000 residents are affected. Fire officials told CBC that they expect “significant structural damage” on the reserve.. Hay River firesHay River fires .Hay River is still recovering from floods last spring that devastated the town and washed away homes. A flood warning was rescinded just last week..It comes after a hot weekend that increased the scope of fires in Alberta. The number of active fires jumped to 90 Monday morning from about 81 prior to the weekend, with 23 listed as out of control. The BC government lists 28 fires with nine out of control..Known in industry circles as the ‘Peace River Block’ or alternatively the ‘Deep Basin’, it’s the start of the pipeline that funnels oil and natural gas from the northeastern part of the province into the Alberta mainline gathering system. Much of it is winter access only, which means its inaccessible by road..It also means that most of the rigs and crews have stood down for the annual spring breakup season and it affects mostly pipelines and processing facilities. According to the Canadian Association of Energy Contractors, there were 91 of 439 registered rigs working last week, with 20 of those in northeast BC..Despite the urgency, there have been no reports of damage to oil facilities. Nonetheless, oil producers continue to report impacts from the fires. Although it’s mostly shut ins — some 300,000 barrels of oil equivalent (boe) and more than a billion cubic feet of gas remain shut in — some companies have brought barrels back on line..Calgary-based Vermillion Energy said it had restored about 60% of some 30,000 boe per day in West Central Alberta. It now expects its second quarter production to average 80,000-83,0000 boe compared to a range of 82,000-86,000 boe, which remains unchanged for the year..“We would like to again thank our staff and emergency responders for their tireless work in response to the wildfires. Our thoughts continue to be with our employees, their families, and our neighbours in the local communities during this difficult time.”.Paramount Resources, however, reported that it had to re-shut some 45,000 boe after the third-party Wapiti natural gas plant near Grande Prairie was closed on Friday. The company said it was not aware of any “significant damage or loss to material owned or third-party infrastructure at this time.” .“The situation continues to evolve and Paramount will provide an update once production is substantially restored. Paramount reiterates its gratitude to its personnel and industry partners and all emergency responders and firefighters for their extraordinary efforts in responding to the wildfires.”
