Evacuation order issued in northern Alberta as wildfire rages

Residents of a community in northern Alberta have been ordered to evacuate as powerful and unpredictable winds fan the flames of a wildfire burning nearby.

An evacuation order was issued for Swan Hills Monday at 6:16 p.m., after residents were put on alert earlier in the day.

Residents should gather their pets, important documents and have enough food, water, fuel and supplies to last at least three days. 

A reception centre for evacuees is at the Allan and Jean Miller Centre in Whitecourt. A bus service is available from the Keyano Centre parking lot.

Evacuees not going to Whitecourt are asked to call 780-778-3637 to register.

Whitecourt Mayor Tom Pickard said his town is ready to take in Swan Hills residents.

"We're going to make it as enjoyable, or pleasant, as we can for Swan Hills. It's very traumatic for them," he said Monday evening.

A wildfire is burning about seven kilometres north of the town of about 1,300 residents.

Swan Hills is about 220 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.

The fire, estimated at about 2,000 hectares, continues to burn out of control with high temperatures and strong winds in the forecast. An update at 4:42 p.m. from Alberta Wildfire said Highway 33 is closed due to smoke causing poor visibility.

We're still going full steam ahead to try to contain it, but it is showing some intense fire behaviour.- Josee St-Onge, Alberta Wildfire

"It is the most active and was showing some high intensity this late afternoon. It's being driven by winds from the west," Josee St-Onge, an Alberta Wildfire information officer, said Monday evening.

She said there are still firefighters, air tankers, helicopters, heavy equipment groups working to contain the fire.

"We'll also have a night vision-equipped helicopter working on it overnight, so we're still going full steam ahead to try to contain it, but it is showing some intense fire behaviour."

Swan Hills resident Beverley Arseneault said the process is overwhelming. Her and her family were out of town, so they had to rush back to get their belongings. 

"I've lived here all my life. This will be my eighth time being evacuated," she said Monday night. 

"Papers, our pictures off the wall, basically those are the major things, right? Those are irreplaceable," she said when asked what she was grabbing from her home. 

"It just grew so fast."

Weather creating problems

Along with shifting winds, Swan Hills is also bracing for severe thunderstorms.

The region is among a stretch of Alberta communities under a thunderstorm watch Monday afternoon. Environment Canada warns of severe storms that may produce strong winds, lightning and hail.

An Alberta Wildfire update issued Monday said "multiple" fires have cropped up Monday due to lightning. A five-hectare, out-of-control fire is burning just north of Whitefish Lake First Nation, but is not currently a threat to the community, according to the update. 

"Firefighters with helicopters and airtankers have been responding to multiple wildfires located 8 to 17 km west of Chipewyan Lakes," the update reads. It states there is currently no danger to communities there, either. 

Other parts of the province are under heat warnings as sweltering temperatures near 30 C return to the forecast, escalating the wildfire risk.

St-Onge said earlier Monday the forecast is expected to intensify this afternoon and to remain challenging for days ahead with hot, dry and windy conditions. 

"We're going to have to continue to focus our resources on containing the wildfire because it doesn't look like Mother Nature is going to do it for us." 

The fire threatening the town was first detected Sunday afternoon west of Highway 33, the main route leading north out of town.

Crews continued to battle the flames overnight, focusing on the southern flank closest to the community.

Smoke was visible throughout the town as the fire grew rapidly, expanding from 65 hectares to 2,000 by late Monday afternoon. 

The wildfire danger in the Slave Lake Forest Area is considered extreme due to hot, dry and windy conditions. 

St-Onge said crews will also be out assessing the town this afternoon to determine how best to protect buildings and key infrastructure that may fall into the path of the flames. 

The fire near Swan Hills is one of 12 out-of-control wildfires listed in Alberta as of 8:00 p.m. Monday.

The wildfire danger forecast is listed as extreme for much of the rest of the week across larges swaths of the Alberta and Saskatchewan.  

St-Onge said much of the province is parched. While the situation in Swan Hills has become increasingly critical, crews have fared better in Yellowhead County, where a wildfire is burning out of control six kilometres west of Mercoal and 16 kilometres southwest of Robb.

Yellowhead County fire 

An evacuation alert remains in effect but some relative calm and cool in the overnight forecast Sunday provided some relief to crews, curbing some of the fire's intensity.

As of 11 a.m. Monday, the fire continued to burn out of control but increased humidity and smoke from the fire itself had helped crews overnight.

The fire covers nearly 400 hectares of forest, about 250 kilometres west of Edmonton, and is burning toward the north and northeast.

Firefighters, heavy equipment and a helicopter worked through the night to prevent the spread of the wildfire. They prioritized the east side, which is the closest to Mercoal. Airtankers were on scene yesterday and will return Monday afternoon if they're needed officials said.

Yellowhead County continues to work with provincial crews to establish structural protection units to help protect buildings in the area under the risk. These sprinkler systems can be quickly activated, helping to guard homes and business from potential damage from flying embers.