Wildfire live updates: Air quality warning for Calgary | Alberta wildfires merge, expected to grow​on June 11, 2025 at 2:39 pm

Wildfire smoke from blazes burning in the Canadian prairie continues to blow across the Atlantic into Europe.

“Smoke originating from the wildfires in the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan has been transported across the Atlantic, reaching Europe during the last few days with forecasts showing further smoke transport this week,” said Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service in an update on air quality in Europe.

An initial plume crossed the Mediterranean region on May 18 and 19, with reports of the smoke reaching Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean. A second, much larger, smoke plume crossed the Atlantic during the last week of May, reaching northwestern parts of Europe on June 1. More smoke is expected to reach the continent in the coming days.

According to an Alberta wildfire update on Tuesday, two wildfires near the Peerless Trout and Chipewyan Lakes First Nations have merged.

Peerless Trout First Nations is about 500 kilometres north of Edmonton.

The fire is expected to grow over the next few days.

Evacuations have been ordered in Chipewyan Lake Loon Lake First Nation and Red Earth Creek.

Two fires northeast of Prince George have merged, creating a 129,331.8 hectares wildfire, which is now classified as a fire of note by the province.

Lighting is the suspected cause of the fire.

The Pocket Knife Creek fire shut down Highway 97 on Monday, but reopened Monday night.

The status of the highway can be checked at drivebc.ca.

The Regional District of Prince George has issued evacuation orders that include portions of Sikanni Chief River, Chicken Creek, Grassy Creek, Trimble Creek, Trimble Lake and Colter Creek.

An evacuation order is in place for anyone located between Range Road 95 and Highway 725, and Township Road 794 and Township Road 802, including Moonshine Lake Provincial Park.

The following areas are on an Evacuation Alert:

• Between Range Road 95 and Highway 725, and Township Road 802 and Township Road 810
• Between Range Road 95 and Highway 725, and Township 794 and Highway 49.
• Between Township Road 802 and Highway 49, and Highway 725 and Range Road 82.

Anyone in these areas should be prepared to evacuate within one hour.

The evacuation centre is at the Blueberry Mountain Hall.

The MD of Greenview, south of Grande Prairie has issued an evacuation order for people between the Smoky River and Forestry Trunk Road from km 70 to km 126.

Fire personnel and aircraft from British Columbia, Yukon, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Washington State, Oregon, Idaho and Hawaii have already arrived in Alberta to assist with battling out-of-control blazes.

The District of Squamish has issued an evacuation alert for some properties in the Brackendale area due to the Dryden Creek Wildfire.

The alert includes some addresses on Depot Road and Tantalus Road, and 4000 Highway 99. People in the affected area are advised to be prepared to leave on short notice.

The Dryden Creek fire, burning above the eastern end of Depot Road, has grown to five hectares and is suspected to be human caused.

The evacuation alert and wildfire advisory Conklin has been lifted by the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.

With below-normal snowpacks during the winter and predicted summer-time drought conditions hitting various parts of Canada, the wildfire season could be a difficult one. Already, Manitoba and Saskatchewan have declared states of emergency to help protect people from raging flames and significant evacuations of northern communities in both provinces have seen thousands of people forced to flee their homes.

“This is the largest evacuation in many Manitobans’ living memory and this will require significant resources and co-operation from all levels of government,” says Manitoba premier Wab Kinew. Already, two people have died in wildfires in that province.

In Alberta, evacuation orders are also increasing in the northern part of the province as out-of-control fires rage.

When it comes to human-caused fires, wildfire experts provide some straightforward advice. Start by being familiar with campfire safety. Use designated fire pits and don’t start a fire near an abundance of nearby potential fuel. Keep the fire sheltered from the wind; keep water nearby in case of emergency; and, ensure all fires are extinguished each night.

If you’re in a rural area, ensure you know how to safely burn vegetation or brush or understand how to use burn barrels.

Rules for everyone? Don’t flick smoking materials onto the ground or out a vehicle’s window. Obey all fire bans. Avoid use of explosive materials like fireworks.

If you live in a forested area, ensure you are familiar with the FireSmart guidelines to protect your house, neighbourhood or community. They offer a myriad of tips that can help save properties and lives.

Recently, scientists have linked exposure to wildfire smoke to increased risks for impaired cognitive function, memory loss, greater odds of being diagnosed with dementia and an increase in emergency department visits for anxiety, depression, psychotic episodes and other mental-health problems.
The Air Quality Health Index program for urban pollution and wildfire smoke exists to signal when minimizing exposure to potentially hazardous outside air could be necessary.

“We issue the messaging to remind people that smoke affects everyone and that there are susceptible people in the population who are more at risk,” Hasell said.

It might not be readily apparent how dangerous the situation can be for some people when there’s smoke in the air without the presence of nearby fire.

“It’s certainly an anxiety-triggering phenomenon because fire is bad. We lose things in fires, so we have evolved to react to fire and smoke,” she said.

“But in some cases, we’re talking about smoke that’s coming from a very far distance, so the immediate fire threat is not there, but smoke itself has risks with respect to health.”

— Ricky Leong and Sharon Kirkey