Wildfire near Edson remains a threat as Alberta fire crews hope for rain
Changing forecast could bring relief but also new risks, cautions wildfire officer
An out-of-control wildfire that has forced thousands of people from Edson, Alta., remains a threat after firefighters worked overnight to contain the flames.
Haze hung over the region Tuesday morning as firefighters prepared for another day on the front lines. The fire, burning within 1.5 kilometres of Edson's southern boundary, is expected to take weeks or months to extinguish.
The fire has burned more than 204,000 hectares since it was detected May 4. Edson's 8,400 residents were ordered to evacuate the town late Friday, the second time this year they had been put under evacuation order.
Others have been forced from their homes in neighbouring Yellowhead County.
There is no timeline for when it will be safe for evacuees to return home.
Firefighters are working around the clock to fight the flames, Caroline Charbonneau, a wildfire information officer with Alberta Wildfire, said in an interview Tuesday.
Ground crews are usually called off the job overnight due to the hazards of working in the dark but fires of this size demand additional resources, she said.
"It's going to take a lot of horsepower, as they say, to search for and extinguish these hot spots in the ground," she said. "I wouldn't expect extinguishment until maybe when the snow comes."
Risk of thunderstorm
Alberta Wildfire had predicted that a low-pressure system moving into the province Tuesday would bring widespread rain that provide some respite to the wildfire crisis.
Rain soaked communities across Alberta on Tuesday morning but as of 9 a.m., none had fallen on the fire threatening Edson, Charbonneau said.
A change in the weather may offer some relief but also new challenges for firefighters in Edson, she said.
Tuesday's forecast for Edson is calling for a 60 per cent chance of afternoon showers with the risk of a thunderstorm and an afternoon high of 23 C.
Increased humidity and smoke cover should aid fire-fighting efforts but there are concerns about high winds and dry lightning that an incoming storm might bring, Charbonneau said.
"It looks like there is going to be a storm moving in, hopefully with precipitation. But along with that comes strong winds so we are preparing for pretty much anything that could happen."
During an update for residents Tuesday, Edson chief administrative officer Christine Beveridge said a "weather shift" is providing some relief. Officials hope cooler temperatures and increased precipitation will prevail in the coming days, she said.
Beveridge said fire crews began working through the night Monday evening — longer shifts that will allow them to fight the fire when its behaviour is less extreme. Crews will focus on the heads of each section of the fire, especially on the "finger" extending close to the town's edge, she said.
She urged residents to remain patient and abide by emergency orders.
"Our evacuation order is still in place. Please stay out of our community," she said. "We want to make sure that when we do bring you back, that you're safe.
"I know this isn't easy for our evacuees who are displaced."
The fire near Edson is the top priority for Alberta crews as the wildfire crisis drags on. This year has delivered the worst Canadian wildfire season in two decades and Alberta has been hard hit.
As of Tuesday morning, there are 80 wildfires burning across the province, including 78 inside Alberta's forest protection zones. Within the forest protection areas, 25 are burning out of control.
An estimated 1,385,000 hectares of forest has burned in Alberta this year, breaking the previous record of 1,357,000 in 1981.
In Edson, nearly 500 people are working to contain the wildfire, including crews from Australia, South Africa, United States, and B.C.
The fire threatening Edson is part of the Deep Creek Wildfire Complex which includes three other fires, all burning out of control.
In nearby Niton Junction, Michael Mills has been offering free campsites to evacuees at his Hidden Grove Campground.
Mills said is startling to see his community flanked by fire, and so many neighbours on edge.
"I think it's playing on a lot of people's minds and and their finances," he said in an interview Monday. "People are scared and worried."
As of Monday, more than 14,000 Albertans were out of their homes due to fires scattered through the northern and western areas of the province.
An evacuation order remains in place for the area in and around Fox Lake, 150 kilometres east of High Level.
The out-of-control Paskwa fire has already consumed homes and businesses in Fox Lake. At 94,000 hectares, it has now pushed toward the community of Garden River, also known as Garden Creek.
About 700 residents, along with evacuees from Fox Lake that have taken refuge there, have been on evacuation alert for days.
Another wildfire has moved in from the north, elevating the risk to the community.
In an update Monday evening, Conroy Sewepagaham, chief of the Little Red River Cree Nation, said strong, shifting winds have driven growth on the fire's southwest flank.
Little Red River Cree Nation includes the communities of Fox Lake, Garden River and John D'Or Prairie.
If winds don't change course soon, evacuation orders for Garden River will be issued, Sewepagaham said.
The flames have jumped a creek and are burning around 23 kilometres northeast of Garden River.
Evacuation orders could be issued as early as Tuesday evening, Sewepagaham said.
"The winds are basically just feeding that fire."
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