Over 24,000 people evacuated as Alberta deals with wildfires

As of Sunday morning, more than 24,000 people in Alberta have been evacuated because of wildfires that have ravaged the province.

The northern part of the province has been hit particularly hard, with towns like Edson and Drayton Valley being forced to make residents in those communities flee for safety.

As of Sunday morning, there were 109 active wildfires burning across the province. Of those fires, 30 are listed as out of control.

A provincial state of emergency has been issued, which Premier Danielle Smith said will “protect the safety, health and well-being of Albertans.”

For now, the province hasn’t asked Ottawa for help, but the premier in a tweet Sunday morning said she’s meeting with officials to determine the next steps.

This morning I am at the Alberta Emergency Management Centre in Edmonton actioning our next steps for the provincial emergency response.
More to come. #ABWildfire pic.twitter.com/MBw1a0zeQY

— Danielle Smith (@ABDanielleSmith) May 7, 2023

Bart Guyon is the reeve for Brazeau County and lives just outside of Drayton Valley. He’s a local farmer in the area.

The area where he is located hasn’t yet been evacuated, but his community is on notice. He explained what the mood in the community has been like.

“If you look through the eyes of people affected, there’s a lot of fear (and) emotions. People’s livelihoods have been uprooted and people are pretty concerned their homes could be destroyed,” he said.

He says the dry conditions and warm temperatures were ideal conditions for making the fire turn into one of the largest he’s ever seen.

“We’ve been in a drought since the snow went away, so there’s a real fuel supply that’s there,” Guyon added.

“The fire around Drayton Valley was about 35,000 hectares and there’s one further west … and it’s 80,000 hectares. These are significant fires that are unprecedented.”

Guyon added he’s never seen a fire anything close to this.

“It’s brand new territory for us. This is history as far as a wreck like this,” Guyon stated. “Because we’ve had kind of a drought for the last few years, the trees haven’t been able to suck up enough moisture to defend themselves from the fire. It’s unprecedented. It’s something we try to be prepared for, but this is way beyond our abilities.”

He says he’s thankful for the help from the province and the hundreds of firefighters who’ve been called in to help battle the big blaze.

Guyon said his area received some rain overnight on Sunday, which makes him optimistic that firefighters will be able to get the fire under control.

He also adds it’s been great to see the community coming together to help people out, especially the farmers who are trying to get everything ready in case they’re forced to leave.

“It’s been quite the community coming together story. Lots of people are donating their equipment (like) water trucks and then you have all the professionals lined up to help as well,” he said. “It kind of reminds me of the old threshing crews when I was a kid growing up and they’d come to help you get your crop off. They aren’t helping to get your crop off, but they’re helping save your farm (and) your home. People come first, right?”

In Saskatchewan, air quality statements due to wildfire smoke remained in effect for areas of northwestern Saskatchewan, including Buffalo Narrows and La Loche.

“Smoke is causing poor air quality and reduced visibility in several areas,” said the Environment Canada statement issued Sunday morning. “Air quality and visibility due to wildfire smoke can fluctuate over short distances and can vary considerably from hour to hour.”

Some residents of the province’s northwest — including from La Loche and the Clearwater River Dene Nation — were evacuated late last week, with some arriving in Regina on Friday.

More to come.