No re-entry timeline for evacuees as Alberta breaks wildfire season record
CBC
There is still no timeline for re-entry into the Alberta town of Edson and parts of Yellowhead County as a wildfire continues to burn near populated areas, officials said Monday.
Temperatures in Edson, 200 kilometres west of Edmonton, are forecast to reach 27 C Monday and fire behaviour is expected to increase.
"This morning's pretty smoky … That just shows you the changing conditions," Edson Mayor Kevin Zahara said during an update on the wildfire situation at noon Monday. "It's still very dangerous."
The fire has continued to grow wider but is holding around 1.5 kilometres from the town's southern boundary, officials said.
About 10,000 residents of Edson and the surrounding area have been ordered to leave their homes. It's the second time this year that Edson has been placed under evacuation order because of fire danger.
Across Alberta, there are about 14,000 evacuees still out of their homes. Within forest protection areas, there are 76 wildfires with 24 burning out of control.
Six evacuation orders remain in effect, including for residents in Fort Chipewyan in northern Alberta where an out-of-control fire burns just seven kilometres from the community.
Alberta Wildfire information officer Melissa Story said in a news conference Monday afternoon that around 1,385,000 hectares of forest has burned, breaking the previous record of 1,357,000 in 1981. But Story cautioned that the number for this season is still an estimate.
"These numbers can change when we do reassessments of area burned when we can go back and assess a fire that is under control," she added.
Mike Ellis, minister of public safety and emergency services, noted that the province is only two and a half months into the wildfire season, which wraps up at the end of October.
Ellis reiterated that the province is supporting firefighting efforts and evacuees, noting that Edson residents were now eligible for evacuation payments.
Since the season's start, more than $24.5 million in e-transfers have been sent to evacuees and more than $9.5 million in debit cards, he said.
Alberta Wildfire predicts a low-pressure system moving into the province would bring widespread rain through until Wednesday. Attending temperature drops and humidity increases will aid firefighters, Story said.
"While the dangers from wildfires in the province persist, there is some positive news on the weather front," Ellis said.
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