Out-of-control wildfires 'unprecedented crisis', says Alberta premier
The current wildfire situation in Alberta is an "unprecedented crisis", premier Danielle Smith said Saturday.
Nearly 25,000 Albertans have been forced from their homes as wildfires continue to rage in north and central Alberta, while 5,200 residents are on evacuation alert.
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The number of active fires is sitting at 103 as of 9:30 a.m. Saturday, as hot and dry conditions led to fast-spreading wildfires that threatened homes, businesses and lives.
The government will decide later today if it will declare a provincial state of emergency, Smith said at a media briefing Saturday. NDP leader Rachel Notley said she will be briefed by Smith and her team at some point on Saturday.
A plume of smoke behind Entwistle Community Church, as seen on Friday afternoon. Entwistle is one of several communities in Alberta under evacuation order. (Submitted by Mark Cacka)
"I have asked the deputy ministers to put together and to make recommendations on all possible options, including declaring a provincial state of emergency," Smith said Saturday.
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"I want to assure everyone that our province has the right tools, the right technology, and the right resources in place to tackle this challenge, and they will get the supports that they need."
Close to 122,000 hectares of land have burned, and the federal government is on standby to help, if needed, Smith said.
"It's a high danger time, but I do have to say this year is significantly higher as far as hectares burned than we've seen in the last five years," wildfire information officer Christie Tucker said during the media briefing.
A large out-of-control wildfire is burning near the northern Alberta community of Fox Lake. (Submitted by Bridgette Loonskin)
Yesterday was particularly bad in terms of conditions, she said.
"We were expecting extreme wildfire behaviour yesterday with the conditions that we were seeing and that's what we got," she said.
Tucker said that on average, the total hectares burned at this time of year usually sits at around 800.
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On Saturday, Alberta Health Services temporarily closed the Edson Healthcare Centre because of wildfire activity in the area.
More than 90 patients and residents were moved to other care facilities across the North Zone, AHS said.
One of the largest evacuations is in the Edson area, including the town's 8,000 residents. People in that area are being told to evacuate to Jasper or Hinton, as parts of Highway 16 east of the area are closed.
A total of 79 firefighters from Ontario and Quebec will arrive in Alberta today to help battle the numerous fires that have ignited over the past week. An additional 200 firefighters will arrive in the coming days.
The entire province is under a fire ban. A provincial off-highway vehicle restriction is in place. The recreational use of off-highway vehicles on public land, including on designated OHV trails, is prohibited.
There have been 381 recorded wildfires so far this year, a number that easily eclipses any previous records during the same period.
Thumbnail image courtesy of Raegan Hrywkiw, taken near Drayton Valley, Alberta.
This article, written by Emily Pasiuk, was originally published for CBC News.
