Part of Yellowhead County evacuated because of wildfire

An evacuation order was issued on June 8, 2023, for an area east of the McLeod River to East Bank Road, south of Township Road 560, depicted in yellow here, because of the threat of a nearby wildfire. (Source: Alberta Emergency Alert)

An evacuation order was issued for an area near the McLeod River in Yellowhead County on Thursday at noon.

CTV News Edmonton has not confirmed how many people were affected by the order, which extends from the river to East Bank Road, south of Township Road 560.

An hour and a half later, an evacuation order was issued for west of the McLeod River to Range Road 140, from Township Road 560 to Township Road 554.

At 6:32 p.m., an order was issued for residents south of Township 554 to the CN Rail line between Highway 32 to Range Road 134.

Those in the evacuation zone were told to go immediately to a reception centre at Peers Multiplex with important documents, medication, supplies and pets. They could call 1-833-334-4630 for help.

An area west of the river was put on evacuation alert.

A 19,500-hectare wildfire complex in the area is classified as out of control by Alberta Wildfire.

The firefighting effort consists of firefighters, helicopters and heavy equipment.

The evacuated area is about 160 kilometres west of Edmonton.