Wildfires continue to pose a risk to several Alberta communities on Wednesday. A 2,000-hectare fire that is believed to have been ignited by a quad in a public recreation area near Redwater Saturday evening is threatening residents of the town and rural residents in Thorhild County. Sturgeon County, which is in charge of the fire response, said the blaze grew beyond retardant lines, dozer guards and other preventative measures on Wednesday. “Given the weather conditions, fuel, low humidity and high heat, we had to pull back and protect homes and property as that fire advanced,” fire chief Chad Moore told reporters on Wednesday during a noon virtual news conference. In conditions like those on Tuesday, embers from a fire can fly in the wind a mile or two away and start another fire, forcing firefighters to relocate so they don’t get trapped between blazes. “Yesterday, as an example, on Township 574, we did three separate retardant drops with airplanes across the front of the fire and it did nothing to stop that,” Moore said. Overnight crews were able to prevent it from spreading west past Range Road 211, but fire activity on Wednesday was expected to be high again. About 175 people are working on the firefighting effort. In total, 30 residences were evacuating; 70 people had reported to the evacuation reception centre in Morinville as of noon on Wednesday. Officials did not provide an estimate of how much property has been damaged. “Certainly there’s been devastation that we know will last generations around here and our heart does go out to the residents who’ve been affected,” Mayor Alanna Hnatiw said. Other area residents are on evacuation alert, meaning they have been directed to be prepared to leave with an hour’s notice. Because of this, schools in Redwater decided not to open Wednesday. Parts of Athabasca County also evacuated In Athabasca County, a wildfire near Highway 831, south of the Village of Boyle, is roughly 980 hectares in size, according to Alberta Wildfire which is supporting local wildfire fighting efforts. Municipal crews working overnight kept the blaze “at bay,” an Athabasca County spokesperson told CTV News Edmonton. However, the fire continues to move north toward Boyle, a community of about 850 people, keeping an evacuation order active. The total number of people directed to leave with three days of necessities is not known. Evacuees were told to go to evacuation centres in Lac La Biche. Again, some residents near this fire, who are not as close as others, have been told to be ready to leave with an hour’s notice if the situation worsens. Evacuation alerts Other Albertans have also been told to prepare to leave with an hour’s notice, but not given the evacuation order yet. This consists of residents of Parkland and Westlock Counties. In Parkland County, crews are battling a wildland fire north of Duffield. In Westlock County, two out-of-control wildfires are threatening the Hamlet of Fawcett and Summer Village of Larkspur. Fire danger levels vary across the province, but the level is considered extreme throughout much of the eastern and central parts of the province. Full details on evacuation orders and alerts can be found on the Alberta Emergency Alert website. This is a developing news story. Information will be updated as it becomes available.
