24 wildfires still out of control, progress being made: officials

Alberta Wildfire says 24 of 88 wildfires are “out-of-control” Tuesday, but rain showers have lessened the danger in parts of central and southern Alberta.

Around 410,000 hectares have burned in 2023.

Twelve evacuation orders remain in place in the province. There are currently 24,000 people that have evacuated – a drop from nearly 30,000 reported Monday.

Meanwhile, 11,000 evacuees have registered in reception centres.

Christie Tucker from Alberta Wildfire says the situation in central and southern Alberta has improved, with fire crews being able to bring in heavy equipment to construct firebreaks.

“In much of the southern and central parts of the province, firefighters have been helped by cooler temperatures and humidity today,” she said.

“These less active conditions mean it’s safer for firefighters to access the wildfires and get heavy equipment in to help create firebreaks around communities.”

However, she says the situation in some northern areas is still a problem, with warmer temperatures forecast for this weekend.

Colin Blair from Alberta Emergency Management Agency says 100 people have made the call to help out with current fires and are currently being assessed to determine how they can help.

He also reiterated that evacuees are eligible for the one-time payment of $1,250 assistance if they’ve been out of their home for a cumulative of seven days, and not necessarily consecutive.

Smith initially said evacuees were eligible if they had been out of their homes for seven consecutive days. The province clarified that statement Tuesday..

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Blair says details are being worked out on where members of the Canadian Forces will be used to bolster the help from firefighters from Ontario, B.C., Quebec and Yukon.

In addition, he asks people to “listen to the direction of local authorities and have some patience” in regard to reports of people wanting to rally against the evacuation orders.

He says it’s not uncommon for those in the forest protection zones to be frustrated, but says this is unprecedented and asks them to exercise patience.

-With files from The Canadian Press