An out of control wildfire burning about 10 kilometres north of Fox Creek has forced mandatory evacuations in the municipal district of Greenview.
The areas forced to evacuate are south of the Hamlet of Little Smoky, south of the Iosegun River and all of Township 65 on both sides of Highway 43.
A state of local emergency has also been declared for those areas. Evacuees are asked to report to the Paradise Inn in Valleyview.
Barry Shellian with Agriculture and Forestry said the fire was sparked around 1 p.m. Sunday and “is growing substantially.”
He said the current size of the fire is 799 hectares.
Near Fox Creek
Fox Creek mayor Jim Ahn said having a fire so near the town is “very discomforting.”
“It’s very worrisome. They are doing what they can to keep the fire under control but I realize it is out of control.”
The fire was also encroaching on the Trilogy energy plant north of the community but Shellian said it is now moving away from that facility as well.
He said the fire is being bolstered by dry conditions and the wind.
There are currently eight water bombers, 43 firefighters, eighteen pieces of heavy equipment and six helicopters fighting the fires.
Shellian said the heavy equipment on scene is currently working to go around the flanks of the fire to build a perimeter.
Fox Creek and Little Smoky are about 250 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.