UPDATE as of 4 p.m., May 13, 2023:
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TODAY’S PROVINCIAL UPDATE
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Information on the Alberta Emergency Alert website may supersede information found below.
Leduc County has issued a wildfire alert as of 3:12 p.m. on Saturday, May 13 (UPDATED AT 9 P.M.)
Area: This alert is in effect for everyone from Township Road 504 north to the North Saskatchewan River between Range Road 270 and Range Road 265.
UPDATE (9 p.m., May 13): The wildfire is contained and fire crews will remain on scene overnight monitoring for flare ups and dealing with hot spots. The evacuation of the area is still in effect. Township Road 504 between Range Road 265 and Range Road 271 is closed. Range Roads 265 and 271 are also closed.
Instruction: Everyone in the affected area must evacuate immediately. This area does NOT include the Town of Devon. Gather pets, important documents and enough food and water for at least three days. Once you have evacuated to a safe location, phone 780-955-4546 to register with the County. Avoid the area and follow the instructions of emergency personnel. An update will be shared when further information is available.
Check back HERE for the latest on this alert.
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Woodlands County has issued a Wildfire Alert for a southern portion of Woodlands County.
There is a wildfire south of Township Road 570, west of RR 123, north of Twp Rd 560 and east of Shining Bank.
The alert is in effect for everyone in the area:
According to Alberta Wildfire on May 13, 2023:
No evacuation is required currently. With worsening weather conditions, this fire could force evacuation of the affected area. An updated alert will be issued if an evacuation is required.
Everyone in the affected area must prepare for a possible evacuation. Gather pets, important documents, medication and enough food, water, and supplies for at least three days. Learn more about emergency preparedness at http://alberta.ca/BePrepared.
*This fire is part of the Deep Creek Complex (Fires EWF-035, WCU-001 and WCU-002)
On Saturday afternoon, wildfire officials could not comment on the direction of fire EWF035, though it’s believed to be roughly 4o to 70 kilometres southwest of the town of Whitecourt.
They also noted that there are always backup plans, including in this case, with Fox Creek evacuees being directed down Highway 43 to a Whitecourt reception centre. Should the fire become closer to Whitecourt, there will be alternatives announced for evacuees from Fox Creek.
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The Municipal District of Greenview has issued an Evacuation Order for Fox Creek to Little Smoky and all areas immediately surrounding these communities.
According to Alberta Emergency Alert, there is a wildfire that is forcing the evacuation of the entire Town of Fox Creek, Hamlet of Little Smoky and surrounding areas. If you are in the affected area, evacuate immediately. Everyone in Fox Creek to Little Smoky and all areas immediately surrounding the area must evacuate to Whitecourt on Highway 43.
A reception centre is located at the Allan and Jean Millar Centre, 58 Sunset Blvd. Whitecourt. Evacuees are required to register.
The MD says All Greenview residents who are required to evacuate can register at the Green View FCSS Community Resource Centre at 4707-50 Street in Valleyview.
In person services are available during regular office hours – or by calling 780-524-7603 after hours or on weekends from 8:00 am – 7:00 pm.
Residents between Township Road 683 and 670 and Range Road 232 and 211 must prepare to evacuate on a 1-hour notice.
For highway closures, check 511. Stay tuned to local media or call 780-524-6584 for assistance.
Crews continue to strengthen containment lines to prevent the wildfire from spreading further toward Fox Creek and Little Smoky communities. The head of the fire remains approximately 2 km east of Highway 43.
Alberta Wildfire has helicopters, dozers, a helicopter attack and a fire attack crew working to contain this fire. Helitac crews from Oregon and Cypress Hills have arrived, along with a pre-supression crew from Quebec have arrived to assist with efforts on this wildfire.
According to the Town of Fox Creek (May 12, 7:20 a.m.):
“The Fox Creek fire department and AB Wildfire, tactical, air and ground crews are prepared for the fire to grow significantly today. Reinforcements, additional air support, and various imported personnel have arrived. We anticipate more to come.
Units will patrol the fire perimeter on foot and focus on extinguishing hot-spots and flare-ups. If weather and conditions allow, you can anticipate the creation of new and fortification of existing containment guards.
Two newly installed air monitoring units, one in Whitecourt and one in Fox Creek, will bolster the networks ability to keep track of air quality for us.
A solid police presence consistently patrols the community and monitors the entrances.
Coordinating this large scale offence, procuring supplies, water, equipment, fuel, preparing meals for 110 (yesterday), responding to phones, messages and email inquiries, is a massive task. It is busy here.
Little Smoky and surrounding area is now on mandatory evacuation alert. New evacuees will very likely be joining you at the Allan & Jean Millar Centre soon.”
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Brazeau County has issued an Evacuation Order for areas in Brazeau County and the Town of Drayton Valley.
According to Alberta Emergency Alert, the evacuation order remains in effect for residents in the following area:
Impacted residents may evacuate to Edmonton. Register at the Expo Center, at 7515 118 Ave at Hall C. If you need help evacuating, call 780-542-7777.
According to Alberta Wildfire on May 12, 2023:
According to Brazeau County:
“Today will be another full day of fire operations, with more than 125 firefighters working within the fire perimeter to address hotspots in preparation for the hot and dry conditions expected this weekend. These conditions are favourable for an increase in fire activity. Resources on the ground will be supported by four helicopters bucketing this afternoon.
The military personnel assisting with operations have successfully integrated into fire crews, and additional personnel will arrive this weekend to provide more support. This weekend’s weather will determine if current fire status improves or worsens, which will in turn determine re-entry timelines. Re-entry planning is underway for when conditions allow.
We know many people are anxious about a timeline for the lifting of the evacuation order. Residents should expect to be out of their homes for at least another week.
Due to the great work of the fire crews all week, both in the air and on the ground, taking advantage of the favourable firefighting weather, progress has been made on over 40 kilometres of dozer guard around the fire. This containment strategy is important for this almost 5,000 hectare fire. Specialized crews are actively addressing priority hot spots.
The forecast is calling for hot, dry temperatures and increased winds in the next few days and this will determine how well the fire guards in place will hold.
If you are a qualified firefighter with the appropriate certification or have equipment to offer to emergency response to this fire or other provincial emergencies, please e-mail your contact information and details to emergencysupportoffers@gov.ab.ca.
We want to make it clear to residents who are evacuated that we cannot consider re-entry at this time. The wildfire situation remains too volatile, and while progress is being made on restoring critical infrastructure, services are not yet in place to support our residents coming back to the community.
Once the incident is stabilized there are still a list of community lifelines including utilities, waste management, hospital, grocery stores, pharmacies, and emergency services functions to restore before people can return to the community.
Returning evacuees to our community has been a priority since this wildfire started and plans to achieve that have been ongoing. But we cannot consider bringing people back until our wildfire experts have determined it is safe to do so.
The situation is continually be assessed to determine the timing of a safe re-entry. We know this is not the news that community residents and businesses want to hear; however, re-entry must be done right in order to be successful and safe for everyone. We hear your frustration: all of the staff, crews, and volunteers responding to this emergency are working very hard to get you home as quickly as possible. We know people are anxious, tired, and want to go home. Our crews are working around the clock to make this happen.
We want to remind people that information about resources is available at the Edmonton EXPO Centre (located at 7515 118 Ave NW, Edmonton). A provincial number has been set up for those who remain evacuated and need assistance. People can call 310-4455.
Information on the Province’s payments for evacuees can be found online at https://www.alberta.ca/emergency.
A reminder that there is a Total Fire Ban for the area of Brazeau County and the Town of Drayton Valley.
A total fire ban occurs when the fire hazard in the area is very high. NO OUTDOOR BURNING IS PERMITTED.
Allowed:
Drayton Valley Enforcement Services has been leading the response within the Town of Drayton Valley and Brazeau County and have been working with teams of Peace Officers, Bylaw Officers, veterinarians, and locksmiths to be able to care for your animals within the evacuated areas of the Town of Drayton Valley and Brazeau County.
“We are continuing to ensure animals are being cared for and are attempting to reunite owners with their pets. So far, we have cared for 378 animals and have been able to help reunite 155 animals,” explains Cody Rossing, Peace Officer with the Town of Drayton Valley. “It’s been another very successful day for our teams, and I am very proud of what they are doing in our community.”
Currently, officers are assisting from the Town of Drayton Valley, the City of Red Deer, the City of Fort Saskatchewan, Town of Stony Plain, Lacombe County, and the Alberta SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals).
Further, if you have registered your animals, officers attempting to call you may be calling from a private number. It is important that during these times, you are answering your calls to expedite this process. In addition, we recommend that you begin the process of determining a suitable location to house your animal(s) once you are reunited, as they can’t remain in place.”
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Yellowhead County still has a Wildfire Alert for northwest, west, and southwest of Brazeau Dam.
According to Alberta Emergency Alert, the wildfire is located southwest of Brazeau Dam, west of the Brazeau River. The evacuation area is bounded by Elk River Road on the north, the Brazeau Reservoir on the east, just past Brazeau River on the south, and RR 145 on the west.
This is an evacuation zone. This wildfire primarily affects oil and gas industry, but anyone within the area must evacuate. Go to Yellowhead County’s Facebook or www.yhcounty.ca for updates. The evacuation routes are north on Wolf Lake Road, west on Elk River Road or east on Elk River Road to Highway 620.
Follow the directions of local authorities. Anyone who needs more information can call 1-833-334-4630.
According to Alberta Wildfire on May 12, 2023:
According to Yellowhead County:
“Alberta and B.C. Wildfire Crews from the Structure Protection Unit will be doing Structure Protection Assessment in the following areas around Edson: from Ansell Tower Road East to River Ridge Estates and from the southern town limits of Edson to the McLeod River.
They will be marking the area with ribbons. Please do not remove any of the ribbons, it is important that these stay in place.
Please be aware of the equipment and crews in the area and let them do their work safely. This is for the benefit and protection of your properties and structures and we thank you all for your assistance.
Also, if you’re in the sky, we can’t fly. Please DO NOT fly drones in an area of active Wildfire.
Drones halt air operations and we will have to wait for the airspace to be clear. Drones can endanger our aircraft and crews that are needed to work on the wildfire. The use of recreational drones over wildfires in Alberta is dangerous, illegal and could result in a fine of up to $15,000* for putting aircraft and people at risk.
Please give Alberta firefighters the space they need to do their jobs safely. Please DO NOT fly drones in the area!”
Learn more at:
https://tc.canada.ca/…/flying-your-drone-safely-legally
https://tc.canada.ca/…/DRONES_INFOGRAPHICS_Forest_Fires…
According to the Town of Edson:
“An Emergency Management Advisory Committee (EMAC) meeting was held at noon today and the State of Local Emergency has been renewed for the Town of Edson to continue to allow us to manage the wildfire incident in the best way possible.
The Town of Edson’s Emergency Coordination Centre is still in operation as well, receiving updates from Alberta Wildfire and other agencies, as well as preparing to deal with the situation if conditions deteriorate.
The State of Local Emergency extension lasts for 7 days unless terminated or renewed.
Another EMAC meeting is planned for Tuesday at 5pm, prior to Tuesday’s 7pm regular meeting of Council.
Video of the Meeting can be found here – https://youtube.com/live/5Lm62fno2iM
Renewal Document – https://www.edson.ca/public/download/files/229685
With the current fire situation in the province, we continue to ask residents to prepare in case of further emergency actions. One thing you can do to help protect your property is to think about Firesmarting your yard.
The purpose of Firesmarting is to clear combustibles from around your home, and to reduce fire fuels in the surrounding area to help slow any spread of wildfire.
See the attached information or visit https://www.alberta.ca/firesmart.aspx for tips.
To help clear some of this material, the Edson landfill will be accepting Firesmart materials (trees and branches only).
Yellowhead County is also setting up alternative sites for trees and branches to be dropped off. More details will be forthcoming on the Yellowhead County website and social media. Please note that all Construction and Demolition materials from Town and County residents must go to Hinton at this time.
Other measures currently in place to reduce the risk of wildfires, and to maintain water supply are as follows:
According to AHS on May 12, 2023:
“The Edson Healthcare Centre emergency department remains open. Inpatient admissions are temporarily paused. EMS remains available to the community and will transport patients to nearby facilities as needed.
Today, we resumed hemodialysis treatment services at Edson Healthcare Centre. All dialysis clients have been contacted and notified by Alberta Kidney Care North. Hemodialysis clients who remain evacuated from the community continue to be accommodated at other facilities.
AHS Home Care staff have resumed services and are available in the community to support client care needs.
We are also working towards resuming Public Health, Addiction and Mental Health, and outpatient laboratory and Diagnostic Imaging services next week. Clients will be contacted directly by AHS to be rescheduled as soon as possible.
Patients and residents, who were relocated, along with their families, will be notified when arrangements are in place for their safe return. To ensure the comfort and safety of the patients and residents, they will continue to be cared for in their new healthcare facilities. Our priority is to bring our residents home as quickly and safely as possible, but it will take time depending on the wildfire situation in Edson, and each individual’s care needs and modes of transportation.
AHS has been reaching out to families and loved ones of the evacuated inpatients and residents with information. If you have not been contacted, please reach out to HealthLink at 811 (patients) or Continuing Care Access at 1-855-371-4122 (residents).
We will continue to keep you updated with plans for the Edson Healthcare Centre. AHS provides wildfire resources for Albertans at AHS.ca/wildfire , including mental health, air quality, and emergency planning links.”
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In Parkland County:
May 12, 2023, at 1:00 p.m.:
“Our firefighters continue to work tirelessly to fight the Range Road 70 Fire, however our crews are stretched thin and we continue to ask the Province for additional resources to defeat this wildfire and protect our communities.
We would like to remind residents in the Entwistle area to remain on alert and be ready for possible evacuation if conditions warrant, as your safety remains our primary concern. The State of Local Emergency remains in effect, as does the Provincial State of Emergency.
You can stay prepared by:
Hot spots are smouldering areas with heat and smoke but no flame. If you have concerns about a hot spot in the area, please call Fire Services at 780-968-8338. If you or your property are threatened, immediately call 9-1-1.
We understand that this can be a difficult time for everyone. Mental health supports are available for our residents. Please call 2-1-1 or contact Parkland County’s FCSS at 780-968-8342 to access counselling supports.
The Entwistle Community Recreation Centre is open today until 4:30 p.m. with support and information available.
Despite having some rain over this past week, temperatures are on the rise for the coming weekend and a full fire ban remains in place throughout the Tri-Region.
This means:
www.parklandcounty.com/FireHazard
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In Lac Ste. Anne County, MANNED ENTRIES AND WELCOME CENTRE REMOVED at LESSARD LAKE ESTATES.
According to Lac Ste. Anne County:
“As of May 13, at 8:00 am, the manned entries and welcome centre will be removed from Lessard Lake Estates.
We understand that this has been a difficult and uncertain time for our community, and we thank you for your patience and cooperation during the restricted re-entry.
Our enforcement officers will continue to monitor the situation closely and take all necessary measures to ensure the safety and security of our community.
Also, a COMPLETE BAN on RECREATIONAL ATV/UTV USE remains in effect within Lac Ste. Anne County due to EXTREME fire risk. This Ban will remain in effect until further notice.
This ban includes all off-road vehicles such as quads and dirt bikes.
Please note: required agricultural and industrial operator ATV/UTV use is exempt from this Ban; however, extreme caution and continuous monitoring are advised.
FOR RESIDENTS IMPACTED BY THE LOCAL WILDFIRE EVENTS:
If you haven’t talked to your insurance company/broker – please reach out and get your claim started as soon as possible.
If you need help identifying who your insurance company is, contact the Insurance Bureau of Canada: toll free: 1-844-227-5422 (1-844-2ask-IBC) or email: askibcwest@ibc.ca.”
