Smoky haze lingers over areas of Alberta as wildfires burn

A smoky haze remains over many areas in Alberta, as fire crews continue to battle several wildfires this weekend.

The wildfire west of Nordegg near the Banff National Park border continues to burn. The blaze was ignited by a lightning strike last weekend, and is being held at 6,300 hectares.

The province has been forced to close campgrounds and parts of the area’s backcountry. Public access to the forest is being restricted from the mountains south of Highway 11, north to Cline River and from the Banff border east to Whiterabbit Creek.

There are also fires burning near Grande Prairie and Slave Lake, although those blazes are being held as well.

There is also smoke drifting into Alberta as a result of the wildfires ravaging the North West Territories.

This summer has proved to be one of the worst fire season in the region’s history, with more than 100 fires currently burning.

The fires have consumed more than 800,000 hectares of land in total — a significant size, much larger than the province of Prince Edward Island. Fire crews from Saskatchewan and Yukon have been called in to help douse the flames, but high temperatures and little rain are making that difficult.