A town in northwestern Alberta threatened by an out-of-control wildfire has been safely evacuated by residents, and the provincial government has promised it will step in with additional supports if their displacement lasts more than three days.
High Level Mayor Crystal McAteer said the entire town of High Level, Alta., was successfully evacuated by 9:30 p.m. MT on Monday, adding that power feeds are compromised, meaning people could be away from their homes for as long as five days.
More than 650 people have registered at an emergency reception centre set up in Slave Lake, according to a statement on that town’s website.
More than 4,000 people living in northern Alberta have been ordered to leave their homes because of a dangerous, out-of-control wildfire that is fuelled by dry conditions, hot weather and high winds.
The evacuations affect High Level, a town about 730 kilometres north of Edmonton, and the nearby First Nation, the Bushe River Reserve.
People leaving the areas are urged to depart via Highway 58 east of the communities, since highways south and west have already been closed due to the blaze.
Premier Jason Kenney said that if the evacuees are still displaced from their homes after 72 hours, the province will step in with additional supports.
On Monday, the premier, Forestry Minister Devin Dreeshen and Municipal Affairs Minister Kaycee Madu met with crews at the provincial operations centre who have been working around the clock.
“This time of year, it’s fairly typical, of course, to have a number of wildfires, after the snow, the winter runoff is gone and before there is much precipitation,” Kenney said in a video posted Monday night to Facebook.
“There’s no forecast for precipitation, so the risk remains fairly high.”
Alberta crews fighting the blaze will get logistical and personnel support from Ontario, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan and British Columbia. Those crews are expected to arrive on Wednesday, he said.
Kenney was scheduled to give an update on efforts to fight the wildfire at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Evacuation details
The evacuation centre in Slave Lake can accommodate as many as 1,200 people. The Legacy Centre will be open 24 hours. Town employees said early Tuesday they have enough volunteers to fully staff the facility, and if additional help is needed, a call will be put out on social media.
In addition to the reception centre in Slave Lake, another one has been set up in High Prairie.
The Chuckegg Creek fire has been burning for several days, but grew substantially starting Sunday, when it covered about 25,000 hectares, to an estimated 69,000 hectares on Monday.
At 4 p.m. Monday when the evacuations of the town were first ordered, the flames were only about three kilometres away.
The order for the Bushe River Reserve, located southeast of the town, was issued at 8 p.m. Monday.