Evacuation alert issued for Alberta town of Slave Lake as wildfire draws near

Thousands of people in the northern Alberta town of Slave Lake have been put on notice to prepare for a possible evacuation due to the threat of a wildfire.

Despite some relief from rainfall overnight, an evacuation alert remains for everyone everyone in the town, as well as some properties northeast of the townsite in the surrounding municipal district.

 A wildfire burning northeast of Slave Lake and east of Highway 88 has put the town under threat. 

According to the alert issued at 9 p.m. Sunday, people living within the town, and properties along Devonshire Road North, should be prepared to leave their homes within eight hours. 

Those living within the evacuation zone in the surrounding Municipal District of Lesser Slave River — including the hamlet of Marten Beach, Summerwood, Township Road 740, and the Gillwood Golf Course area — should be prepared to evacuate within four hours.

Officials say the fire is burning approximately 12 kilometres to the east of Marten Beach and about 20 kilometres to the north of Slave Lake. 

While no evacuation is necessary, people should prepare to leave by packing essentials including medication, important documents, pet supplies, water and clothing, and by keeping their vehicles fuelled and ready, officials said. 

The community of around 7,000 people is no stranger to the danger posed by wildfires. A wildfire burned about one-third of Slave Lake in May 2011, destroying nearly 400 homes and businesses.

According to an update Monday from Alberta Wildfire, the fire northeast of Slave Lake began Sunday, and was sparked by a lightning strike.

As of Monday morning, the flames had burned across 44 hectares of forest and continued to burn out of control, northeast of Lesser Slave Lake.

Helicopters and air tankers responded to the scene along with heavy equipment crews and night vision-equipped helicopters that worked to contain the fire through the night.

Rain has helped crews tamper the flames but additional crews are en route to the frontline Monday, officials said.

In an update to residents on social media Monday, Mayor Francesca Ward said crews are making progress on building a containment guard to keep the flames from spreading further.

She thanked residents for staying alert and being prepared.

"Two groups of heavy equipment crews have now built containment guard around approximately 60 per cent of the fire —a significant step forward in controlling its spread," Ward wrote. 

"We did see some rain overnight on the fire area, which is great news. That rain, combined with cooler conditions, helped calm fire activity overnight.

"We're seeing real progress, but we're not out of the woods yet." 

According to Alberta Wildfire, the fire northeast of Slave Lake is among 11 now burning in the Slave Lake wildfire district. 

The wildfire danger in the region was very high over the weekend, with officials monitoring closely for new fire activity amid hot and dry conditions and a cluster of lightning storms. 

While the fire near Slave Lake puts residents on edge, another cluster of fires in the district has already brought devastation to the region.

One of the fires, now covering more than 137,000 hectares, moved in on the remote community of Chipewyan Lake in in late May, burning nearly half of the structures in the community, including its health centre and water treatment plant, to the ground.

As the community, about 450 kilometres north of Edmonton, assesses the damage and faces the challenges of a long rebuild ahead, the 100 residents who call Chipewyan Lake home have remained under evacuation since May 28. 

According to Alberta Wildfire, 63 wildfires are burning across Alberta Monday, at least 14 of which are burning out of control.