Fire evacuation order issued in central Alberta, area near Fort McMurray on alert
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Authorities are warning residents in west-central and northern Alberta as winds push wildfires towards homes.
Authorities are warning residents in west-central and northern Alberta as winds push wildfires towards homes.
An out-of-control blaze burning about four kilometres east of the community of Fox Lake has prompted Little Red River Cree Nation to evacuate nearby homes. Evacuees are being told to go to the Fox Lake Band office.
Fire officials said cooler evening temperatures slowed fire activity, but that is expected to increase Wednesday, with the forecast calling for a temperature of 27 degrees and wind gusts reaching 35 kilometres an hour.
An evacuation order is in effect for a rural area near Calmar, Alta., about 50 kilometres southwest of Edmonton.
An evacuation alert, warning that people should be prepared to leave on short notice, has been issued for an area south of Fort McMurray.
The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo says the alert is for residents of Fort McMurray First Nation, Gregoire Lake Estates and Anzac — all approximately 50 kilometres south of the city Fort McMurray.
In 2016, a fire swept through Fort McMurray, causing the largest wildfire evacuation in Alberta history and displacing nearly 90,000 people.