An evacuation order has been issued for the remote town of Swan Hills in northern Alberta, due to the Grizzly Complex wildfire to the north of the community.
The town issued the order via an Alberta Emergency Alert just after 1 p.m. Tuesday. The community is home to about 1,300 people.
The fire about 40 kilometres northwest of the town is out of control and has burned around 22,398 hectares, according to Alberta Wildfire.
The Town of Swan Hills said in a Facebook post that conditions changed drastically on Tuesday and residents must gather all pets, gather enough supplies for at least three days and evacuate immediately.
All residents are encouraged to register at a reception centre located in the Barrhead Agrena at 5607 47 Street, Barrhead, Alta., the province said.
Residents who are not registering at the Barrhead reception centre are asked to contact Family and Community Support Services at 780-333-4119.
The Grizzly Complex is made up of three large wildfires south of Slave Lake. In total, there are 88 firefighters,14 helicopters and six heavy equipment groups working on the fires.
For more information about alerts, visit Alberta’s official emergency alert page.
— More to come…