An out-of-control wildfire in northern Alberta triggered an evacuation order for people in Chipewyan Lake on Thursday night as the blaze moved towards the only route in and out of the community.
The order was issued at 10:21 p.m. by the Municipal District of Opportunity No. 17.
“If you require transport, go to the Chipewyan Lake air strip,” officials said. “If you require fuel, go to the MD transportation yard.
“Evacuate immediately.”
Evacuees were asked to bring important documents and medications with them and then to register at a reception centre set up at the Wabasca Lakeview Sports Centre, located at 102 Opportunity Dr.
They added that the evacuation order was issued in part because of smoke in the area resulting from three different fires.
On Friday, the province said 89 residents of Chipewyan Lake had registered at the evacuation centre.
“There’s no immediate threat to the community, but the wildfire is threatening the only exit route out,” Stephen Lacroix, the managing director of the Alberta Emergency Management Agency, told a news conference.
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Residents have been moved to hotels in Slave Lake and Wabasca as well as that town’s sports centre.
Chipewyan Lake is located about 450 kilometres north of Edmonton.
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Lacroix said evacuation alerts for the Janvier and Janvier 194 communities, located south of Fort McMurray, remain in place.
He said it is important for residents in all communities under an alert to be prepared to leave their homes at any moment.
Christie Tucker, a spokesperson for Alberta Wildfire, said 377 new fires have started this month.
She said crews are concerned more could erupt over the weekend due to the heat wave hitting Alberta. Lightning is expected in some areas.
The conditions could “lead to extreme fire behaviour or changes in existing wildfires already burning on the landscape,” she said.
Tucker said a fire ban remains in place in Alberta’s forest protection area, a region spanning from the southern Rocky Mountains into the north.
For the latest information on which areas in Alberta are under an evacuation alert or order due to a wildfire, visit the Alberta Emergency Alert website.
For the latest information on the wildfire status and danger across the province, visit the Alberta Wildfire website.
The latest information on fire advisories, restrictions and bans across the province can be found on the Alberta fire bans website.
— With files from The Canadian Press
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