This is your reminder that the smoke from forest fires is not just tree smoke.
It's smoke from burnt buildings, burnt vehicles, burnt animals, and everything the fire has destroyed in its path.
Check air quality often (several times a day) and be prepared to protect yourself and loved ones, including your pets, if need be.
Alberta Wildfire spokesperson Christie Tucker said there are currently 91 wildfires in Alberta's forest protection area, and 25 of those are out of control.
She also underlined just how severe this year's wildfire season has been, with 842,000 hectares burned so far.
"Last year, on this day, we [had] burned just 459 hectares. Not 459,000 — 459," Tucker said.
The slightly darker line around the center of the picture, the one that almost blends in with the sky, is the other side of the valley and about a 15 minute walk from where I took this picture. #abfire
9:45pm. Normally the view from this hill is the town on the left and the river on the right. You can see part of the town, but the river is gone, obscured by the heavy smoke.
• Which Alberta wildfires are out of control vs. being held
• How big the fires are
• Where the smoke is drifting
• Which areas are at risk of new fires
"Rapattack firefighters are rappelled from helicopters to douse wildfires while they still only covered a few hectares. They can extinguish small fires before they merge and clear landing spaces for other helicopters to bring in crews and gear.
There were once 63 such firefighters stationed around the province before the government cancelled the program in 2019, saving $1.4 million."
Some Albertans displaced by wildfires say they're frustrated and confounded by the lack of information from municipalities and provincial agencies.
They say they feel in the dark about when they should be preparing for their community to evacuate, what's happening in the community they left behind, what supports are available for evacuees, timelines, road closures, utility restoration and more. #AbLeg#AbWildfire#AbFire
Cool yup, never seen anything like this ever before. (This is the fire by Sherwood Park. Also we are safe)
I have never received this many fire-related emergency alerts before, let alone within one hour in the same evening, and let alone in May. This is bonkers.
RT @bearclannation
I feel like we are driving through an apocalypse just before Edson. The sky is dark/ yellow and you can see ash flying in the wind. Alberta is literally on fire. Listening to @CBCEdmonton news saying we are 10-15 degrees above normal. This is climate change. #abfire#abpoli