A wildfire part of the Eagle Complex is seen here in the Municipal District of Greenview. (Alberta Wildfire/Gov't of Alberta)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

28 days later

Alberta ends wildfire-induced Provincial State of Emergency

Jun 3, 2023 | 3:43 PM

After exactly four weeks, Alberta is ending its Provincial State of Emergency.

The expiry of the state of emergency at 11:59 p.m. on June 3 comes as the wildfire situation continues to improve.

However, the province says all resourcing and support remains in place as there are still 58 wildfires burning in Alberta as of 3 p.m. on June 3. Sixteen of those are out of control.

More than 560 wildfires have burned in the forest protection area this year — 309 of them believed to be human caused. It all equates to roughly 1.19 million hectares burned.

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“Wildfires are still burning in many parts of northern Alberta, and hundreds of people are still away from their homes,” says Mike Ellis, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services.

“Although the provincial state of emergency is expiring, we will continue to use all of our resources to fight these fires and protect communities. No community will be left behind, and all the resources of the provincial government will continue to be available to those who need it.”

The province adds that Albertans who have been evacuated or are returning home should continue to follow updates from their local authorities. Information is also available at Alberta.ca/emergency or by calling 310-4455 any time of the day or night.

Evacuees should still register at a local reception centre or at emergencyregistration.alberta.ca. Situation reports will continue to be distributed daily to the public and media.

June 3 is also the final day that the Government of Alberta and Government of Canada will match donations to the Red Cross 2023 Alberta Fires Appeal. Every $1 donated to the Red Cross appeal will become $3 to support those affected by the wildfires.

Meantime, hundreds of firefighters from South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the United States are set to arrive in Canada over the next two weeks, according to the Canadian Press.

There are already more than 500 international firefighters, incident commanders and other workers in Alberta, with 101 more arriving recently from the United States.

More than 27,000 square kilometres of land has burned in Canada over the last two months

For the latest about the most noteworthy fires, which are still causing 4,200+ Albertans to be evacuated, visit the Government of Alberta website, as well as AlbertaFireBans.ca for details on current fire advisories. The wildfire map can be viewed here.

A final telephone town hall for evacuees is being held Saturday, June 3 from 7-8 p.m. To participate, call 1-833-380-0691. Listen and ask questions online (closed captioning is available).

(with files from The Canadian Press)