Spring and summer are active times for wildfires in Alberta, with large sections of of northern Alberta being consumed by fire.
The fires are burning in multiple areas hundreds of kilometres apart, triggering evacuations of several communities in northwestern and north-central Alberta.
Here is a summary of the existing alerts and orders across Alberta. This story will be updated whenever a new alert is issued.
Traffic issues such a road closures are posted to the Alberta 511 government website.
Evacuation orders
N/A
Ended alerts
Dene Tha’ First Nation
On Tuesday, June 25, the evacuation alert for parts of Mackenzie County, including the Dene Tha’ First Nation’s Bushe River, and Beaver First Nation’s Child Lake, and Boyer River reserves.
Check the Dene Tha’ First Nation Facebook page for updates.
High Level
The Town of High Level lifted the evacuation alert for the community effective 2 p.m. Monday, June 24. The town felt it was safe to lift the alert because of favorable weather conditions and less aggressive fire growth.
Mackenzie County
Shortly before 4:30 p.m. on July 12, 2019, officials in Mackenzie County said all evacuation alerts in the county had been lifted.
“We know this fire situation has been frustrating and difficult,” Reeve Josh Knelsen said in a statement posted to Facebook. “We thank each of you for your patience, and ask for your continued patience as the fire response continues for months to come.”
The post went on to say, in part, that “although this threat is no longer as serious as it has been for the last couple of months, it’s important to keep praying for safety for all of those continuing to work hard on this fire, and to keep praying for rain.”
Officials said that even though the alert had been lifted throughout the county, there are wildfires still burning and people should continue to check for updates on the county’s Facebook page.
As of July 4 at 10:15 a.m., an evacuation alert was in place for parts of Mackenzie County. Residents were told to prepare to evacuate on short notice.
The alert applied to residents in the following areas:
- Area west of Range Road 154, north of Highway 697 to south of Township Road 1050
- The La Crete Ferry Campground
- Area west of Range Road 151, north of Township Road 1050, south of Township Road 1070, including the Hamlet of La Crete
More information can be obtained by calling the Mackenzie County Emergency Coordination Centre at 780-927-3718 or by visiting the county’s Facebook page.
Mackenzie County: La Crete area
In the afternoon on Monday, June 24, 2019, wildfire evacuation orders were lifted for Rocky Lane and a rural High Level area north of the Peace River, west of Range Road 150, south of Highway 58 and south and southeast of High Level. However, people in these areas were told they must still be ready to evacuate on short notice.
Meanwhile, also on the afternoon of June 24, a wildfire emergency alert was cancelled for La Crete and the rural area outside the hamlet. Residents there were told they could return home but must still be ready to evacuate on short notice.
More information, including emergency contact numbers, can be found on Mackenzie County’s Facebook page or the Dene Tha’ First Nation Facebook page.
Indian Cabins (Mackenzie County)
Shortly before 7 p.m. on Friday, June 21, Mackenzie County officials said an evacuation order that had been issued for the community of Indian Cabins had been lifted, However, residents were told they still must be prepared to evacuate on short notice because of the threat posed by wildfires.
More information on the evacuation order can be found on Mackenzie County’s Facebook page.
Peerless Trout First Nation
A mandatory evacuation order issued for Peerless Trout and Trout Lake on on Monday, June 17 due to a wildfire locations about 11 kilometres southeast of the community was dropped on Friday, June 21.
It was the second time this wildfire season people from Peerless Trout were told to evacuate.
Evacuees registered in Red Earth Creek before travelling to stay in hotels in Edmonton.
More information can be found on the Peerless Trout First Nation website and Facebook page.
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