Alberta declares provincial state of emergency due to wildfires

CALGARY, AB – Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has declared a provincial state of emergency in response to the rapidly changing wildfire situation in Central and Northern Alberta.

Earlier in the afternoon on Saturday, May 6, 2023, Smith indicated that the government was in talks with wildfire experts on emergency efforts to mitigate the situation.

Smith met with the Emergency Management Committee and determined that the best response was to protect the health, safety and welfare of Albertans by declaring the provincial state of emergency.

Smith said, “Under the Emergency Management Act, the declaration gives the government greater powers to respond to extreme situations.”

“For example, the province can access emergency funds, mobilize additional supports, and continue to work with municipalities, organizations and businesses to support affected residents.”

Smith added that, “This is not a step we took lightly, but it’s one that will allow the quickest and most effective response.”

Smith said, “In addition, the provincial emergency coordination centre where Alberta’s response is organized from has moved up from level three to level four. This measure allows for more comprehensive response to extraordinary events. It also ensures the centre is fully staffed and our partners across borders are notified.”

Moving to level four means mandatory full government of Alberta coordination, which is anticipated to boost emergency response efforts.

Smith also noted that she will be meeting with NDP leader Rachel Notley in the coming days to provide additional feedback on wildfire response, in an effort to fill any gaps and address needs as they emerge.

According to the province, the safety of Albertans remains the number one priority as officials direct resources to incidents that have direct threats to human life.

At the time of this report, there are 110 active wildfires burning across the province.

Since 11:00 a.m. Friday, May 5, there have been 52 new fire starts, burning an estimated 121,109 hectares in the province.

There are 14 states of emergency in effect across the province, and over 24,000 people have been evacuated from their homes, with another 52,000 under an evacuation alert.

A fire ban and off-highway vehicle restriction remains in place across the forest protection area of Alberta, and many other municipalities and Alberta Parks have issued fire bans to prevent accidental wildfires.

Christie Tucker, Information Unit Manager with Alberta Wildfire explained, “It has been an extremely challenging day for firefighters here, we were battling very strong winds, hot weather, and those winds produced extreme wildfire activity which saw many of the wildfire on the landscape grow or move quite quickly today.”

She continued, “But we are looking forward to a brief reprise, possibly in the next few days as cooler weather comes up through the province, that may give firefighters a chance to catch their breath and we’re happy to welcome additional firefighters today from Ontario and Quebec, as well as air resources that will help us drop water on some of these wildfires.”

Tucker said Alberta will be utilizing other agencies in Canada and the United States to request additional resources in the next few days.

Alberta Wildfire also indicated that there have been multiple reports of residents flying recreational drones over fire zones, which is posing a serious risk to firefighters and pilots in the air.

Alberta RCMP also shared that hundreds of officers from across the province are being re-deployed to assist in response, including traffic units and administrative workers.

In addition to that, the RCMP has requested units from different divisions, including the Sheriffs branch of Alberta, conservation officers, and Fish and Wildlife officers.

RCMP Deputy Commissioner Curtis Zablocki, Commanding Officer of the Alberta RCMP, explained that while the community of Drayton Valley remained evacuated overnight, police discovered four individuals allegedly breaking into and entering a local gas station.

Zablocki noted that the RCMP will also look into possibly requesting additional resources from outside of the province.

Further information about the wildfires of note and evacuation alerts and orders can be found on the Alberta Government website or the Alberta Wildfire Status Dashboard.

Additional resources can be found through the Wildfire Resource Line, which is 310-4455, a common call center where people can find updates needed on evacuation services.

The next wildfire update from the province will be issued on Sunday, May 7, 2023.

Alberta declares provincial state of emergency due to wildfires

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