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Winds helping in battle against fire threatening northern Alberta town

Nearly 5,000 people have cleared out of High Level and nearby First Nation
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Flames seen from burning wildfire in High Level, Alta. on Saturday, May 18, 2019. (Chris Dechant/Facebook)

Fire officials say winds continue to be favourable as crews battle a large wildfire burning a few kilometres from a northern Alberta town.

Nearly 5,000 people have cleared out of High Level and nearby First Nations with flames licking at the southern edge of the community, located about 750 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.

Winds are expected to be out of the southeast for the next several days, pushing the fire away from homes and other buildings.

“The fire is actually burning on the southwest side of High Level headed northwest,” Bruce Mayer, assistant deputy minister of Alberta’s Agriculture and Forestry Department, said Tuesday.

“The forecast for the next few days is the strong gusty winds will be from the southeast to east and northeast, which are all favourable.”

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said the fire is about five kilometres from the town. Official reports said flames were within three kilometres.

Kenney said no buildings have been damaged and the evacuation of the town on Monday went off without incident.

“I’m pleased to say it was a safe, orderly evacuation thanks to the co-operation of residents and first responders.”

Evacuee reception centres have been set up in Slave Lake and High Prairie.

Officials in Slave Lake said about 700 people had registered at its reception centre as of mid-morning Tuesday.

“Steady flow of evacuees all night,” said Mayor Tyler Warman. “People are very calm, very patient.”

Warman said hotel rooms have been booked for those who need them.

“We were down to the wire, but we were able to house them all,” said Warman. “We do have cots potentially available here in the future if needed, if we needed to set something up on a wider scale.”

Warman, who was a town councillor and firefighter during a 2011 wildfire that destroyed parts of Slave Lake, said he’s happy that the community is able to help its neighbours.

“We’re excited to pay it forward.”

Officials were also arranging for pets to be housed in Slave Lake during the evacuation.

Other evacuees were asked to register with the Red Cross. They were told to prepare for three days away from their homes and Kenney said they could be out for as many as five days.

About 20 patients were also moved from the High Level hospital over the long weekend.

READ MORE: B.C. sends 267 firefighters to help battle Alberta wildfires

The fire is rated at a Level 6, the most intense rating on the scale. That means flames are jumping from treetop to treetop.

The last estimate at noon Tuesday put the blaze at about 800 square kilometres, almost the same size as Calgary. Power had been cut to the town and wasn’t expected to be restored until Tuesday evening.

Almost 90 firefighters were working on the edge of the fire closest to High Level. Heavy-duty sprinkler systems were brought in to keep buildings wet.

Kenney said more firefighters from Ontario, British Columbia and Nova Scotia were expected to be on the ground in Alberta in the next two days as part of national agreements to share firefighting resources.

“We will certainly be proud to return the favour when needed in the future.”

The premier urged residents to be cautious as the fire danger in many parts of the province is considered extreme.

“Unfortunately the dry conditions in northern Alberta are expected to continue for the foreseeable future with the fire danger possibly increasing this week,” he said.

Four other fires are classified as out of control in northern Alberta, including two burning north of Slave Lake.

The province issued a fire ban and restricted off-highway vehicle use for several areas late last week due to forecasts calling for little precipitation and strong winds.

It isn’t the first time wildfires have forced an evacuation of an Alberta community this early in the season.

In May 2016, a massive fire swept into Fort McMurray, destroying thousands of homes and businesses and forcing almost 88,000 people to flee. About 7,000 were evacuated from Slave Lake due to a wildfire in May 2011.

READ MORE: Should B.C. already be implementing province-wide fire bans?

The Canadian Press


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