Residents return home as winds stoke wildfires across Alberta
Posted May 16, 2023 7:22 pm.
Wildfires let up slightly in Alberta as some towns lifted their evacuation orders Tuesday as winds continue to affect wildfire growth.
Drayton Valley and parts of Brazeau County saw re-entry start at 2 p.m., same with parts of Grande Prairie.
“A staggered community reentry is set to begin,” said Colin Blair with the Alberta Emergency Management Agency. “But while the developments in Drayton Valley are certainly good news, the province still faces many challenges.”
There are 23 evacuation orders in Alberta, and 17 Alberta Emergency Alerts, 12 of which are critical, while five are advisories.
This comes as officials say nearly 20,000 people are out of their homes, and according to the Alberta Wildfire dashboard, 89 active wildfires burn in the province, 25 of which are out of control.
Over 2,500 people are working to put out fires.
About 900 firefighters and military personnel from outside of the province and 1,600 people from Alberta Wildfire are working to put out the flames. Sixty more firefighters will be coming from Ontario Wednesday.
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Hot, dry and windy conditions are expected to continue throughout Western Canada, potentially creating more intense and unpredictable fires.
“We’re seeing a continuation of gusty northwest winds today that will continue to affect smoke movements in the province,” said Christie Tucker with Alberta Wildfire.
“Under these conditions, we did see some growth on a number of wildfires yesterday, particularly in the areas north and west of Edmonton.”
The province says the fire danger is extreme in the north, with temperatures expected to increase again toward the end of this week.
Tuckers says fire crews responded to 472 wildfires in 2023, burning 616,000 hectares of land.
Recently, the United Conservative Party has been scrutinized for cuts it made to a program of elite aerial wildfire fighters.
Rapattack firefighters rappelled from helicopters to douse wildfires. While they only covered a few hectares, they can extinguish small fires before they merge and clear landing spaces for other helicopters to bring in crews and gear.
The cuts were made despite pleas to keep the program from at least three rural municipalities, one of which has been evacuated for days in Alberta’s current record-setting rash of wildfires.
The Alberta NDP promised to bring back the program in an election announcement Monday.
Meanwhile, Tucker also wanted to let people know about the increase in smoke, saying it’s not cause for alarm.
“Many Albertans woke up this morning to smoke in the air, which is a constant reminder of the intensity of this wildfire season,” Tucker said.
“But the appearance of smoke is not necessarily an indication that a wildfire in your vicinity is more active.”
She also says the increase of smoke in some areas has actually offered help in creating cooler conditions.
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Meanwhile, to help ramp up efforts in the firefight, the province announced it will help compensate municipalities when it comes to hiring volunteer firefighters.
According to Alberta Minister of Forestry, Parks, and Tourism Todd Loewen, this is in an effort to keep more boots on the ground.
“We understand that the lack of compensation for these volunteers may create barriers as some may not be able to leave their regular jobs to join firefighting efforts or continue their selfless work,” Loewen said.
“That is why the government is stepping in to remove this barrier by supporting the municipalities, First Nations, and Metis settlements being impacted by wildfires, helping them cover the costs of compensating volunteer firefighters.”
He asks local leaders to keep track of expenses as they hire volunteer firefighters and to submit the claims to the province.
“Where possible, Alberta will use existing disaster assistance programs to reimburse local authorities for volunteer firefighter compensation,” he said.
For those interested in supporting the efforts, Loewen says to email emergencysupportoffers@gov.ab.ca.
The government says that since the announcement of the one-time emergency financial assistance for evacuees, more than 10,400 applications have been processed.
Over $15.8 million in e-transfers has been sent to evacuees, and more than $3.3 million in debit cards has been distributed.
The assistance is for any Albertan forced to evacuate their homes due to the wildfires for a cumulative seven days.
-With files from The Canadian Press
