Trudeau to visit Edmonton, meet with CAF personnel assisting with wildfires
Posted May 15, 2023 10:49 am.
Last Updated May 15, 2023 12:07 pm.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was set to stop in Edmonton on Monday to meet with military personnel who are helping Alberta fight ongoing wildfires.
About 300 members of the Canadian Armed Forces are deploying across the province to help with the blazes that have forced thousands of Albertans to flee their homes and rural properties.
Wildfires officials warn rising temperatures that have been a problem for crews battling wildfires in the province’s north are now also a concern in the south.
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Josee St-Onge of Alberta Wildfire said conditions in the south aren’t as extreme at the moment, but the province may need to reposition resources so it can be ready to respond quickly to new fires in the area.
St-Onge said Sunday that fire crews are already in the Rocky Mountain and Calgary forests in the south, and could be bolstered with resources from the north, or from outside the province, if fires break out and grow there.
The number of evacuees in Alberta grew to more than 19,300 on Sunday, with 23 of the 89 active wildfires considered out of control as of Monday morning.
Crews have made great progress battling the Buck Creek wildfire threatening Brazeau County southwest of Edmonton, which includes the town of Drayton Valley, the county said Monday.
“Today will again be hot and dry, but crews continue to extinguish hot spots near residential homes,” it said in a statement.
More than 200 people are working on the fire line, the county said, and heat scans were used to identify and extinguish hot spots.
The statement added officials are making a plan for people to return home when it’s safe, but an evacuation order is still in effect for residents of the area.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 15, 2023.
