Hundreds ordered to evacuate overnight in northern Alberta as wildfires flare

Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued for communities in remote northern Alberta as the province braces for another day of potentially explosive wildfire activity. 

Hundreds of people were ordered to leave their homes overnight as wildfires flared with sweltering heat and high winds, straining firefighting efforts across the province.

A complex of fires has put a cluster of communities, including three First Nations, under threat.The band of wildfires is burning across a region made up of vast expanses of boreal forest dotted with small lakes, thick swamps of muskeg, and few roads. 

'Extreme behaviour'

As of 8 a.m. Thursday there were close to 50 fires burning across the province, 24 of which were classified as out of control

Derrick Forsythe, an information officer with Alberta Wildfire, said many of Alberta's out-of-control wildfires are concentrated in the evacuation zone, and parched conditions have made them unpredictable.

"We've seen some extreme behaviour," he said an interview Thursday.

"The dry conditions have made it challenging for us." 

Forsythe said crews are bracing for some difficult days. Conditions are expected to grow increasingly volatile. 

A red flag watch is in effect for most of Alberta, including the communities in the evacuation zone. The provincial weather warning means wildfire activity has grown dangerous and intense. 

"The next couple of days are going to be, it's going to be a challenging environment for the firefighters," Forsythe said.

Two counties and a First Nation have issued evacuation orders as of Thursday evening.

Shortly after 5 p.m. MT, Yellowhead County issued an evacuation order to people living around the hamlet of Peers, about 165 kilometres west of Edmonton. The wildfire, burning out of control about one kilometre south of the community, covered 100 hectares around 6:15 p.m., according to the Alberta Wildfire map.

Dene Tha First Nation issued an evacuation order just before 6:45 p.m. for residents of Chateh, a community about 660 kilometres northwest of Edmonton. An out-of-control fire about 20 kilometres southwest of the community has grown to about 1,730 hectares, the wildfire map shows.

Then, around 7 p.m., Westlock County told some of its residents to flee because of a fire in Hubert Lake Wildland Provincial Park, which spanned 900 hectares around 4:30 p.m. Thursday.

People living near the park, on both sides of the river, are affected by the order. The provincial park is roughly 120 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.

Overnight evacuations

The string of overnight evacuation orders began with the community of Chipewyan Lake, home to about 90 people. 

A pair of out-of control wildfires are burning nearby. As of Thursday morning, one fire was burning 15 kilometres southwest of the community, covering 4,650 hectares. The second fire, around eight kilometres northwest of the community, is considered the bigger threat to homes and buildings in Chipewyan Lake.

About 300 residents of nearby Red Earth Creek, and hundreds more from neighbouring First Nation communities, were also ordered to leave their homes as a different wildfire moved in. 

A wildfire burning near Red Earth Creek advanced rapidly northward late Wednesday evening, triggering evacuation orders for the hamlet, along with Loon River First Nation, Peerless Lake and Trout Lake.

As of Thursday morning, the wildfire southeast of Red Earth Creek had burned 2,611 hectares and had drawn within 10 kilometres of the hamlet. 

All evacuees were asked to leave immediately and told to gather enough supplies to last at least three days.

Ivan Sawan, chief of Loon River First Nation, said the situation grew critical Wednesday night as the sky became congested with smoke. 

The fires had drawn dangerously close to communities and are within a kilometre of Highway 686, a critical route for residents, he said.

Falling ashes

The air became thick and ashes began to fall from the sky, he said. 

"The winds were picking up yesterday and there was quite a bit of smoke," he said.

"And the wind, of course, was no help. And that's where we had to make some serious decisions."

In all, around 1,300 people from the First Nation communities were evacuated from their homes overnight, Sawan said.

About 100 of them — elders and vulnerable people — were put on school buses and driven south to hotel rooms in Edmonton, nearly 450 kilometres away from home. 

"We had to get our vulnerable and our elders evacuated to the nearest hotel that was available, which was in Edmonton. It's a long way to go but we had to get our evacuees and our elders out as soon as possible." 

The evacuation from Peerless Trout First Nation was particularly critical as there is only "one way in and one way out" of the community, Sawan said. 

The nation, surrounded by forest at the edge of a lake, sits at the end of a single road that branches off Highway 686. 

"If there was a fire on Highway 686, there is really nowhere to go," he said. "That adds to the anxiety when it comes to fire." 

He said the highway south was jammed with vehicles as people made their way out.

With few services along the highway, co-ordination was critical.

Community leaders were concerned the few gas stations along the way would run out of fuel or people's tanks would run dry on the way to the evacuee checkpoints hours away.

It's unclear when it will be safe to return. He said fear and anxiety among his members is running high. 

"We just have to keep calm and keep hoping for the best for our people and our community, that the fire doesn't come," he said.

Swan Hills blaze

Swan Hills — a community of about 1,300 people — has been under evacuation since Monday. A wildfire burning north of the town has crossed a highway is within eight kilometres of the community. It continues to burn out of control and has burned 4,480 hectares. 

The province has faced extreme heat and high winds, with little rain for days.

A cold front moving through the province Thursday will trigger a sudden shift in winds, with strong gusts from the south.

Severe thunderstorms and lightning strikes could spark new fires.

Officials are bracing for another wildfire season marked by extreme heat and persistent drought as wildfire activity ravages communities across the west, including Manitoba and Saskatchewan, where thousands have already faced evacuation orders.