3 northern Alberta communities evacuated due to wildfires

Mounties are confirming three northern Alberta communities have been evacuated due to wildfires in the area.

Alberta RCMP say residents of John D’Or Prairie, Fox Lake, and Garden River have been evacuated from their homes.

The highway connecting those communities, Highway 58, was closed Sunday at the level of Beaver Ranch.

“Please avoid the area and allow First Responders to do their jobs safely,” RCMP wrote in a brief news release.

RELATED: Dozens forced from northern Alberta community after fire threatens key road

Little Red River Cree Nation upgraded its evacuation alert to an evacuation order for John D’Or Prairie and Fox Lake on Saturday. Residents of those communities were asked to be out by 10 p.m. Residents of Garden River, a settlement that’s part of the Little Red River Cree Nation, were ordered to evacuate earlier this month.

Residents of Chipewyan Lake were ordered to leave Thursday due to a separate fire that threatened the only route in and out of the community.

The provincial government says fire danger is very high to extreme across most of the province due to hot, dry and windy conditions.

–With files from the Canadian Press