Wildfire north of Grande Prairie forces 3 homes to evacuate
The county says flames have not touched houses yet
Three homes were evacuated Saturday afternoon as emergency crews responded to a wildfire in northwestern Alberta, that is now being held.
Shortly before 2:45 p.m. MT Saturday, the County of Grande Prairie issued an alert about the evacuations. No houses had been affected, but a few sheds and an RV were burned down.
The county did not specify how many residents had to evacuate.
The fire is burning almost 40 kilometres northeast of the city of Grande Prairie, in the the Morgan's Mountain area. Shortly after 5 p.m., the county issued another alert saying the fire was being held.
The Grande Prairie Regional Fire Service and Alberta Wildfire crews are working to contain the perimeter, the county said, adding that it doesn't expect the flames to spread.
The county had closed a section of Range Road 50, between Township Road 744 and Township Road 742, for firefighting. That portion reopened to traffic late Saturday afternoon, but "some local traffic restrictions" were still in effect in the south entrance of the Morgan Mountain subdivision.
The county of Grande Prairie, about 415 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, fell under a fire restriction earlier this week. According to the Alberta Wildfire dashboard, there is an extreme fire risk in the region.
Fire restrictions prohibit wood campfires on public lands, although they are allowed inside provincial campgrounds and on private property, according to the Alberta government's website.
Fire crews stayed on scene until nighttime, the county said, and they would continue their efforts Sunday to monitor conditions and extinguish hotspots.