Alberta wildfire crews take advantage of break in weather before heat returns

Cooler temperatures have provided a much-needed break to crews fighting Alberta's wildfires, allowing them to prepare for another difficult stretch when the hot weather returns.

"I think the firefighters are certainly getting a better leg up than they had seen in the previous week. I think the challenge is, certainly, we want to avoid burnout," Alberta Wildfire spokesperson Christie Tucker said Wednesday afternoon.

"We want to make sure our firefighters are fresh and approaching the fire with just as much vigour as they always do, particularly as we're going into quite a heavy weekend, potentially."

There are 78 wildfires burning across the province, 24 of them out of control. So far this year, there have been 421 wildfires that have burned 410,000 hectares — about double the average area burned in an entire season.

About 17,860 Albertans remain under evacuation orders, according to the Alberta Emergency Management Agency, down from 24,000 on Tuesday.

Dangerous conditions are expected to escalate in the days ahead. Temperatures are forecast to spike dramatically with cloudless skies and temperatures around 30 C expected throughout the weekend in communities across northern Alberta.

Evacuation orders are being lifted in some communities where the threat has passed, as many more across the province remain under imminent threat from encroaching flames.

Starting Wednesday morning, residents in some areas of Yellowhead County, including Evansburg, were allowed to return home. But other parts of the county, including the hamlet of Wildwood and Lobstick Resort, are still under mandatory evacuation. 

"Residents need to remember that there is still fire activity and other potential safety concerns in some areas," the county said in an advisory to returning residents Tuesday.

In Fox Creek, a town about 260 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, cooler temperatures and reduced wind have allowed fire crews to fortify containment lines but evacuation orders remain in place.

A 21,000-hectare wildfire is burning about six kilometres from the community.

"Don't let the skyline and current clear skies deceive you," the town said in an update to residents. 

"This fire is out of control and burns deep into the ground. It is a sleeping giant. The situation can change quickly."

Indigenous communities in Alberta's north are continuing to assess the damages.