EDITOR’S NOTE: As of 11 a.m. on Wednesday, the Alberta government said the wildfire in the MD of Acadia No. 34 had been extinguished.
After the Municipal District of Acadia in southeastern Alberta declared a local state of emergency due to serious wildfires, officials with the M.D. lifted the evacuation order for Acadia Valley shortly after 9 p.m.
However, people who live southeast of the Acadia Valley were told to “not return home tonight” and “everyone else south of Acadia Valley, please use extreme caution before making the decision to return.”
Officials also said power had been restored to the hamlet.
Shortly after 9:30 p.m., Oyen RCMP said despite the evacuation order being lifted, the local state of emergency remained in effect and Highway 41 was still closed south of Acadia Valley.
Alberta Emergency Alert said a new fire started southwest of the Acadia Valley on Tuesday night, which was heading north.
People who live in and within close proximity of the Acadia Valley were told to evacuate the area shortly before 7:30 p.m. Residents were asked to head to the Oyen legion, where an evacuation centre was set up.
Shortly after 8:15 p.m., RCMP said the fire pushed east and crossed the South Saskatchewan River. A local state of emergency was also issued for the village of Empress.
Residents of Empress were evacuated south to the Bindloss Community Hall, where a reception centre has been set up.
Highway 41 was shut down to traffic south of the intersection with Highway 570. No traffic is allowed through the area.
The emergency situation in the MD of Acadia and village of Empress was just one of several serious fire-related situations in southern Alberta on Tuesday night.
READ MORE: Wildfire spurs evacuation, state of emergency in Alberta’s Crowsnest Pass
Acadia Valley is located approximately 30 kilometres south of Oyen, Alta. Oyen is located about 300 kilometres east of Calgary.
RCMP said Wednesday several farms were lost in the fire. On Wednesday evening, the Alberta government said five homes had been lost to the wildfire in Acadia Valley.
RCMP said extreme winds caused power outages in Oyen and the RCMP radio station was damaged, knocking out all radio communication. Officers used their cellphones and car computer messages to coordinate the evacuations and respond to 911 calls.
Officials then lifted the evacuation order shortly after 9 p.m.
As of 11 a.m. on Wednesday, the Alberta government said the wildfire had been extinguished. Highway 41 was open.
For the latest information on the fires and evacuation alerts, follow Alberta Emergency Alert online and on Twitter.
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