An out-of-control wildfire triggered an evacuation order south of Whitecourt, Alberta, on Monday with officials urging residents to leave immediately.
Woodlands County said the fire was burning east of Range Road 114 and south of Highway 43, including the West Ridge subdivision.
All residents in the affected area were ordered to evacuate right away.
Officials advised people to gather pets, important documents and medication, and to register at the evacuation reception centre at the Allan and Jean Millar Centre in Whitecourt.
The wildfire, estimated at about 55 hectares, was located roughly 3.5 kilometres south of Whitecourt and was moving south due to windy conditions.
Woodlands County Reeve Dave Kusch said crews were working to build a firebreak to help protect the community.
“We’re trying to work it all night,” Kusch said on Monday. “There are going to be crews on the ground and night-vision helicopters.”
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He said dry conditions have helped fuel the fire’s rapid spread.
“Nothing’s greened up yet,” Kusch said. “You still have a lot of underbrush and deadfall around the area.
“It went up like a tinderbox, unfortunately.”
Alberta Wildfire said firefighters, helicopters and air tankers are actively working to contain the blaze.
Kusch said a cooler weather forecast in the coming days is providing some optimism.
“It’s supposed to be a lot better than it was Monday, with improved wind conditions and temperatures,” he says.
The evacuation order was issued at 5:31 p.m. Monday through an Alberta Emergency Alert, with authorities warning the fire is burning out of control and could continue to spread.
Officials say further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
howi is it that Alberta has had cloud seeding tech since the 60s (according to web search) but we have draughts. i work outside and i notice lines in the sky means no rain. pattern recognition. gooo carney
Someone in the federal liberal party needs to tell the lackies to cool it for a while longer….still not summer enough yet.
I sure hope they get it under control we already have idiots in Edmonton burning grassfires. The sky was red last night at sunset. It is the end of the world and we’re watching it.
No recent storms, obviously human caused
Please keep safe,may the good lord watch over everyone. Keep the fire keepers safe.