Wildfire smoke blankets parts of northern Alberta, Rocky Mountain region

Wildfire smoke has left parts of northern Alberta and the Rocky Mountain region shrouded in haze Saturday, increasing the health risk in some areas amid a prolonged heatwave.

There were 155 total wildfires burning throughout Alberta as of 11 a.m. Saturday, according to the Alberta Wildfire status dashboard. Some of the wildfires — namely those burning near Chipewyan Lake, and Little Red River Cree Nation and Garden River areas in northern Alberta — had forced roughly 1,100 people from their homes as of Friday afternoon.

Environment and Climate Change Canada’s (ECCC) air quality health index, which estimates how safe the air is to breathe, shows conditions are “very high risk” in multiple northern Alberta communities, including the Wood Buffalo and Fort McMurray areas, as well as Edmonton.

Poor air quality is forecasted to last through the weekend in those places, the index suggests.

The City of Edmonton activated an extreme weather response shortly after 11:30 a.m. Saturday due to the smoke. It will last until 9 a.m. Monday, according to a news release issued by the city.

Open city facilities, such as recreation centres and pools, will give out N95 masks and can act as shelter from the poor air quality. The city will distribute masks to agencies serving vulnerable people as needed, and social agency partners will have masks available for those who need them.

ECCC issued air quality advisories for many parts of Alberta on Saturday. Special air quality statements for the Rocky Mountain area were also issued.

Parks Canada fire crews are working to extinguish a fire that ignited in Jasper National Park on Friday afternoon, according to a Facebook post. As of 11 a.m. Saturday, Alberta Wildfire estimates the fire spans one hectare.

Smoke from the fire is affecting air quality and visibility in the area, the ECCC statement says. The agency advises people to limit their time indoors and be wary of symptoms of smoke inhalation.

Seniors, pregnant people, smokers, infants and young children, people who work or exercise outside and people with some pre-existing health conditions may be more adversely affected by smoke, the statement says.

The air in central and southern Alberta communities, such as Red Deer, Calgary and Lethbridge, were “low risk” Saturday, but could be minimally affected Sunday, the health index suggests.

The worsened air comes as a heat wave has settled over Alberta. Most of the province remains under a heat warning with daytime highs expected to reach 28 C to 36 C, according to ECCC.

Communities affected by thick wildfire smoke could record temperatures a few degrees cooler than predicted, but the combination of heat and poor air quality will increase the health risk, the agency says.