Town of Edson and Yellowhead County lift evacuation orders
Posted June 15, 2023 4:05 pm.
Nearly a week after the Town of Edson and Yellowhead County fought flames off and evacuated, people can return home.
Edson, west of Edmonton, saw an out-of-control fire pose a danger to the community, which led to over 8,000 people being ordered to leave on Friday.
The order is expected to be lifted as of 6 p.m. Thursday.
Re-entry Plans
The lifting of the Evacuation Order is being planned for 06:00 p.m. today, Thursday, June 15th, 2023. Follow the link for more details on the re-entry plans. pic.twitter.com/pxzwoMRG7c
— Town of Edson (@townofedson) June 15, 2023
“Welcome home,” said Edson Mayor Kevin Zahara.
“I know that you’ve been eagerly waiting to come home, but please do so safely. ”
Zahara says there are limited medical supplies at this time, saying there is one “basic life support ambulance,” but adds he is in contact with MLA Ric McIver and the health minister’s office.
“If you’re not comfortable coming back … you don’t have to come back tonight, but we certainly would welcome you home.”
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The Town of Edson says there is bussing available from Edmonton for Edson and Yellowhead County evacuees.
For those that need to register or for those that need transportation to the Expo Centre to meet the bus, please call 780-974-4864, and they will help you make arrangements.
Evacuees can also register for bussing at the Lodging/Transportation desk at the Expo Centre.
Bussing Announcement for June 15
Bussing is available for Edson and Yellowhead County evacuees who require transportation service home from Edmonton. Follow the link for more details. pic.twitter.com/71FS7wZmE5
— Town of Edson (@townofedson) June 15, 2023
Meanwhile, Christine Beveridge, chief administrative officer for Edson, says with the order lifting, it will move a four-hour evacuation alert.
“We want to make sure that while we lift the evacuation order, everyone understands the severity of the situation,” she said on Facebook Live.
She says residents must all be prepared for a reduction in services and businesses that may not be open or open at reduced hours.
In addition, Beveridge adds the fire is over 200,000 hectares, roughly 4.5 times the size of Edmonton, and had been pushed back south of McCloud River and is within two kilometres of the Town of Edson.
“From a firefighting perspective. This fire is like holding a tiger by the tail. We cannot turn our backs on it. This is the reality,” Beveridge said
Over 300 wildland firefighters continue to work on the fire with bucketing operations and continuous monitoring.
“While the rain has helped, there has been a lot of tactics that the firefighters have been using to hold this fire,” Beveridge explained.
Steadier rain is expected Saturday, and additional crews will be arriving to assist those already brought in from Australia, New Zealand, the U.S., South Africa, Alberta, and B.C.
“When it comes to precipitation, five millimetres equals about one day of reprieve, meaning approximately, we’ve received probably 50 millimetres of rain throughout this rain event over the last couple of days,” Beveridge said.
Since fires are still listed as out of control, a local State of Emergency is still in effect for Yellowhead County.
More information on re-entry can be found online.
-With files from Bianca Millions and Cole Fortner
