An evacuation order prompted by a central Alberta wildfire was partially lifted for the Town of Drayton Valley and parts of Brazeau County on Tuesday afternoon.
Alberta Emergency Alert lifted the evacuation order shortly before 2 p.m.
Returning residents were told to expect heavy traffic and delays.
In a post on its Facebook page, the Town of Drayton Valley said the evacuation order for the town and parts of Brazeau County was being “partially lifted” starting at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, May 16.
Homeowners with even number addresses can return as of 2 p.m., with owners of odd number addresses allowed back at 4 p.m.
“I’m so happy to finally welcome our community home,” said Nancy Dodds, mayor of the Town of Drayton Valley.
“This has been a very trying time, but I have been touched by the optimism, generosity and compassion of our residents.”
Located about 150 kilometres southwest of Edmonton, Drayton Valley was evacuated on May 4, as were nearby communities in Brazeau County.
More than 7,000 people call Drayton Valley home.
Parts of Brazeau County remained under evacuation order due to the Buck Creek fire. Residents whose properties are located within the revised evacuation red zone are not able to return home at this time.
“As firefighting operations continue for at least the remainder of the week, smaller areas in the red evacuation zone may reopen systematically as fire crews reach extinguishment objectives to make returning to those areas safe,” town officials said.
Residents who are returning are asked to fill up their vehicle first and pick up a few days’ worth of groceries.
There are still highway closures in the area so returning residents should check the town’s website or Facebook page for details.
“It’s amazing. Emotional,” said resident Joy Metcalf. “I drove into town and saw the ‘Welcome Home’ sign and welled up, tears,” she said.
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She arrived to find her home fine — no damage.
“I just want to say thank you to Brazeau County, the Town of Drayton Valley, the peace officers that were brought in from everywhere, people that were working non-stop, people that aren’t familiar with fires trying to fight these fires, it was amazing, and that’s why we’re here, home, finally.”
Metcalf says she’s so thankful for all the work done to protect the community and bring people back — only when it’s safe to do so.
“It was so volatile and unknown,” she said. “You don’t know if you have a town to come back to and we’re so appreciative that we do.
“You’ve got to let the professionals and the people who know what they’re doing do what they’re trained to do.
“We, as lay people, don’t know what we’re doing. Me, I was trained in firefighting, but I’m 60 years old, I’m not going to go out and fight a fire again. Let the people who know how to deal with it… let them.”
Lisa Cookson has been staying with her mother in their trailer for nearly two weeks.
“I was just really glad. I’m ready to go home,” she said.
“The first couple days were a lot more stressful and then you kind of got used to it.
“I’m so glad we had our holiday trailer. I really feel sorry for people who are in hotel rooms or stuck wherever. At least we had the holiday trailer so it gave us room and space to actually live.”
“The Buck Creek Wildfire is considered ‘being held,’ which means the wildfire is not likely to spread beyond predetermined boundaries under prevailing conditions,” the town said.
“Fire crews will finish establishing control lines working inwards to the burned area, conduct fuel management activities and mop-up (extinguishing a fire) in close proximity to residential structures.
“The hard work and dedication of our emergency personnel and first responders have made this re-entry possible earlier than initially anticipated.
“The Town of Drayton Valley and Brazeau County express their sincere gratitude to all the emergency responders, incident management personnel, staff and volunteers who have worked tirelessly to support their communities during this challenging time.”
Residents are encouraged to read the community re-entry information booklet.
Mental health support is available by calling 1-877-303-2642.
The Drayton Valley Hospital and Care Centre will be open at 7:30 a.m. on May 17 and EMS services remain available in the community.
“This has been a tough go for everyone involved and an unprecedented event for our community,” said Brazeau County Reeve Bart Guyon. “I’m happy that we’re at a place where most folks can come back and get on with their lives.”
Earlier Tuesday, Brazeau County officials confirmed more than 250 essential workers were allowed to return to the Brazeau County, Drayton Valley evacuation area in preparation for all evacuees to return.
The county is working with utility providers Tuesday to restore utilities and services in the area.
“The wind has shifted and brought smoke from other fires into the air, resulting in a 10 plus – very high risk – rating on the air quality scale,” said Brazeau County in a Facebook statement. The county suggests reducing or eliminating strenuous outdoor activities, especially for children, seniors and people with respiratory issues,
“(The) fire fighters (are) moving toward the interior of the burn area as they extinguish hotspots using crews on the ground and support from the air.”
The select workers are associated with critical infrastructure within Brazeau County are being granted entry into the evacuation area as of Monday. Critical infrastructure is described as hospitals, power and gas utilities, grocery stores, gas stations and pharmacies.
These workers are being given access under a shelter-in-place order to help reestablish services to prepare for when it is safe for evacuees to return.
Brazeau County officials confirmed on Facebook Monday that “great progress was made getting us closer to full containment on the fire guard,” despite the current adverse weather conditions.
The state of local emergency remains in place for Drayton Valley and Brazeau County.
For more updates, visit the Brazeau County Facebook page or the Drayton Valley Facebook page.
A full list of evacuation orders can be found on the Alberta Emergency Alert website.