Kistkatinaw River Wildfire activity to slow with forecasted rain

Jun 12, 2025 | 12:19 PM

In the 27th update on the Kiskatinaw River Wildfire from the Grande Prairie Regional Emergency Partnership, no new growth was reported overnight thanks to the efforts of firefighters holding containment lines.

GPREP’s Information Officer says strong progress was also made on clean-up operations along the perimeter on Wednesday.

The wildfire is still classified as out of control and is now estimated to be 26,628 hectares in size.

Forecasted rain in the coming days is expected to aid in firefighting efforts and combined with cooler temperatures, minimal fire behaviour is expected.

Today, fire crews will be working on containment efforts with aerial resources and heavy equipment on the ground. Ignitions will also be taking place in the southeast side of the fire to establish stronger control of the containment line.

Multiple dozer groups will be completing containment lines on the northeast end of the fire today as well, with small-scale hand ignitions to get rid of areas of dense forest and trees to prevent further spread.

The evacuation order was reduced in the County of Grande Prairie on Wednesday, but areas still remain on alert. The County is closely monitoring conditions and will update evacuation zones as needed to protect residents and first responders.

by Erika Rolling