Evacuation alert issued for northern Alberta town of Slave Lake as wildfire threatens
Posted July 21, 2025 12:06 pm.
Last Updated July 21, 2025 12:56 pm.
Thousands of people in the northern Alberta town of Slave Lake have been put on notice to prepare for a possible evacuation due to the threat of a wildfire.
The evacuation alert was issued Sunday at 9 p.m. because of a lightning-sparked fire burning northeast of the town. It’s less than one square kilometre in size.
The alert is in effect for the areas of Devonshire Road North, the MD of Lesser Slave River, Hamlet of Marten Beach, Summerwood, Township Road 740 and Gillwood Gold Course, according to Alberta Emergency Alert (AEA).
“We’ve just issued an 8-hour evacuation notice for the Town of Slave Lake,” Slave Lake Mayor Francesca Ward wrote on social media. “This does not mean you need to leave immediately – it means we want you to have time to be ready in case things change.”
Two groups of heavy equipment crews have now built a containment guard around approximately 60 per cent of the fire, the mayor said Monday.
Slave Lake is no stranger to devastating wildfires. In 2011, approximately one-third of the town was destroyed in a quick-moving spring fire.
