Mayor of fire-ravaged Alberta town promises more info to residents

SLAVE LAKE, Alta. – Hope may be beyond the reach of many burned-out residents of Slave Lake, Alta., but at least a little clarity could be on the horizon.

Thousands of evacuees are still waiting to hear if their homes survived Sunday’s conflagration that reduced a large part of the town to cinders.

Mayor Karina Pillay-Kinnee says officials are trying to set up a system where residents can find out which properties are damaged or destroyed.

She says she hopes that can be done within a day or two.

RCMP Sgt. Brian Scott says it’s also possible that people may be allowed back into their neighbourhoods for a quick assessment by this weekend.

But all agree it may be a couple of weeks before the town is ready to be inhabited again.

The uncertainty has been paralyzing for many of those staying at evacuation centres across northern Alberta and as far south as Edmonton.

"You don’t know what you have back there anymore," says Patty Lewis, who is staying at a makeshift shelter in nearby Athabasca.

"You don’t even know when you can go home. We were told we could go home in a couple of days. Now we’ve been told two weeks, so I don’t know."

In all, 7,000 residents were forced to flee when wildfires fuelled by winds reaching 100 km/h winds swooped in on Sunday and set fire to homes, businesses and vehicles.

Officials say it’s too dangerous to let anyone back into town because the smoke is too heavy, chemicals hang in the air and there is no electricity, power or drinking water.

Wildfire spokesman Rob Harris says the fire itself is still not under control.

"It really depends on the weather," said Harris, who works for Sustainable Resource Development.

"If we get strong winds like we saw on the weekend, it’s still a possibility (that the fire could re-enter the community)."

However, an emergency services spokesman admits that there are still a handful of people who have refused to leave Slave Lake.

"A very small number of people have been found in the town," says Colin Lloyd. "They are being dealt with by police."

RCMP Sgt. Tim Taniguchi says there have been three reports of property-crime related offences, though he insists there has been no looting.