A new evacuation order has been issued for Leduc County in west Devon. It affects the area between Township Road 504 and the North Saskatchewan River, between Range Roads 265 and 270.
Evacuation orders were also issued for all of Dene Tha’ First Nation and a portion of Big Lakes County within the quad of Township Road 740, Range Road 152, Range Road 162, and Township Road 730.
Since Saturday afternoon, two orders have also been in effect for two areas in Greenview County. The first is for all residents of the Sturgeon Lake Cree First Nation and all residents north of the community and south of Township Road 722 and between Range Roads 225 and 233a.
The second concerns an area south of Township Road 690, between Highway 40 and the British Columbia border.
Some residents of Clear Hills County and the entire Sucker Creek First Nation also need to be prepared for an evacuation.
Authorities fear that hot and dry weather will push that number higher in the coming days. The number of fires continued to increase throughout the day.
Prime Minister Danielle Smith described the expected weather as a heat dome […] which will make the next few days more difficult.
Environment Canada has issued a heat warning for all northern areas of the province. The federal agency has also issued special air quality bulletins because smoke from the fires could affect visibility in all areas southwest of Edmonton, northern Alberta and northwest Saskatchewan.
“Smoke affects air quality and visibility in many places. Due to smoke from wildfires, air quality and visibility can change over short distances and vary significantly from hour to hour. »
– A quote from Environment Canada
Temperatures are expected to reach or exceed 30C in several regions in northern Alberta on Sunday, according to the federal agency. Humidity will also continue to drop.
Winds were calm during the day on Saturday but should pick up, Alberta Wildfire spokesman Josée St-Onge warns. The wind will be a big factor. It will reach speeds of up to 45 km/h in certain northern regions of the province. This affects fire activity and creates dangerous conditions for our firefighters.
Exhausted firefighters
Firefighters have been battling the blazes in Parkland County for nearly two weeks. The fire chief and the mayor ask the province to send them reinforcements.
“Our crews are exhausted,” said fire chief Brian Cornforth, who said he understood the province’s resources were limited. However, he hopes for quick help, otherwise the fire will continue to spread, particularly through the burning of the organic matter present underground.
The only way to put out this fire is to have people on site who are knowledgeable about firefighting tactics.
More reinforcements on the way
Around 200 American firefighters are expected to arrive as reinforcements on Saturday. In addition, a third company of 100 Canadian Army reservists will join the more than 200 members of the Canadian Armed Forces already deployed.
As Lt. Col. Ben Schmidt, who directs military operations near Grande Prairie, explains, the military tries to make firefighters’ jobs easier with physical tasks: “Kill fires, turn earth, […] find something [points] hot to reduce the risk of fire in the future. »
The total number of wildland firefighters, machine operators, pilots and military personnel fighting wildfires across the province will therefore be about 1,500.
Prime Minister Danielle Smith announced on Saturday that she has approved the construction of a fire ditch to protect the city of Grande Prairie. They have been working on this for several years, she said.
The province will provide an update on the forest and bush fire situation at 3 p.m. mountain time.
Development of the fire risk in the coming days
Enlarge picture (New window)According to the fire hazard forecast for May 12-15, 2023, the high-risk zone (in red) will peak at the weekend. As of Sunday, among others, all of Alberta and Saskatchewan and significant areas of the Northwest Territories are at high risk. The risk remains very high on Monday.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Natural Resources Canada