Alberta wildfires: Drayton Valley evacuees told re-entry not possible for at least another week

Residents of Drayton Valley, one of the largest Alberta communities to be evacuated because of the threat of wildfire this month, have been told to expect to be out of their homes for at least another week.

In a post on the town’s Facebook page late Thursday night, officials said “favourable firefighting weather” this week has seen progress being made with regard to the situation, but “fire continues to burn inside the fire perimeter as seen on the map.”

“The wildfire situation remains too volatile, and while progress is being made on restoring critical infrastructure, services are not yet in place to support our residents coming back to the community,” the post reads.

“We know many people are anxious about a timeline for the lifting of the evacuation order.”

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Earlier on Thursday, Alberta Wildfire officials announced the central Alberta town would be one of the places where military personnel would be deployed to assist with the province’s wildfire crisis.

Officials in Drayton Valley are expected to provide an update on the fire situation on Friday afternoon. Provincial officials are also scheduled to hold a news conference about the wildfire crisis in Edmonton on Friday.

Located about 150 kilometres southwest of Edmonton, Drayton Valley was evacuated on May 4, as were nearby communities in Brazeau County.

“Today will be another full day of fire operations, with more than 125 firefighters working within the fire perimeter to address hot spots in preparation for the hot and dry conditions expected this weekend,” town officials posted on Facebook on Friday. “These conditions are favourable for an increase in fire activity.

“Resources on the ground will be supported by four helicopters bucketing this afternoon.

“The military personnel assisting with operations have successfully integrated into fire crews, and additional personnel will arrive this weekend to provide more support.”

Town officials said the weather this weekend will impact whether the fire situation improves or worsens, “which will in turn determine re-entry timelines.”