UPDATED at 4:16 p.m. May 11, 2023:
Yellowhead County has cancelled its Wildfire Alert for northwest, west, and southwest of Brazeau Dam, west of the Brazeau River. Yellowhead County has also lifted an Evacuation Order for the Hamlet of Evansburg and the rural areas east, north, and south of Wildwood, as well as the Hamlet of Wildwood, Lobstick Resort, Hansonville, Highway 16A, areas south of Highway 16 from Range Road 81 to Reno Road, and Highway 16A to Range Road 75 which are no longer under evacuation order.
All areas of Yellowhead County have had the evacuation order lifted but officials note that wildfires remain in areas.
According to Alberta Wildfire on May 11, 2023:
- “Wildfires EWF-035, WCU-001 and WCU-002 are part of the Deep Creek Complex and will be reported together.
- Wildfires WCU-001 and WCU-002 are in the area of Evansburg, Entwistle, Wildwood, Lobstick and Hansonville. They are classified as out of control 7,254 hectares (WCU001) and 2,400 hectares (WCU002).
- Wildfire EWF-035 is located 3 km southeast of Shining Bank and is classified as out of control at 5,332 hectares.
- There are 68 firefighters, heavy equipment and nine helicopters working on this complex.
According to Yellowhead County:
“The Evacuee Reception Centre in Edson is now CLOSED.
Call 1-833-334-4630 with any evacuation-related questions. Remember to call 9-1-1 during an emergency, including if you see fire. If in doubt, call 9-1-1.
We want to remind residents that there is still fire activity and other potential safety concerns in some areas. Firefighters and emergency services are still operating in these areas. Anyone entering firefighting areas can impact and prevent firefighting efforts in this area.
Yellowhead County recommends that all residents be prepared with an evacuation plan and their important items in the event of an emergency. Learn more at www.alberta.ca/beprepared
Information specific to fires such as location, size, and perimeter can be found at srd.web.alberta.ca/Edson-area-update.
Information on the provincial funding for evacuees who have been away from their home for more than 7 days (total) can be found at alberta.ca/emergency. If you’re having trouble applying online, call 310-4455.
We have received reports of scam text messages and comments asking people to click a link regarding funding for evacuations. We want to remind all residents to be very wary of any sort of “click here” type message or comment. Clicking on these links may provide scammers with your personal information.
The link to apply for emergency funding through the Government of Alberta is at https://www.alberta.ca/emergency.aspx#financialsupports. You can call 310-4455 if you are having issues with applying online.
The province is also offering nightly Telephone Town Halls each night from 7:30 p.m. until Sunday, May 14. View information on that here: https://www.alberta.ca/emergency.aspx#info.”
According to the Town of Edson:
“Many residents have asked about the immediate supports available as we encounter some of the financial implications of the evacuation and re-entry. The following resources are available to assist residents in need:
- The Edson Food Bank has food available to anyone who needs it. For a diversity of dietary requirements, please call 780.725.3185 to book an appointment. 14-day food hampers are available.
- Income support and AISH clients should contact their caseworkers to discuss potential financial supports.
- In certain circumstances, Alberta Supports may be able to provide immediate-term emergency assistance. Note that certain means-tested eligibility requirements apply. For more information, contact the Edson Alberta Supports Centre at 780.723.8317 or visit the Provincial Building at 111 54 St. Additional information may be found at https://www.alberta.ca/emergency.aspx.”
—
Brazeau County has renewed its State of Local Emergency (SOLE) due to the wildfire.
Officials say a SOLE provides municipalities with a wide range of powers within their municipal boundaries that are normally unavailable or limited under the Municipal Government Act, such as enacting an emergency plan. States of Local Emergency expire after 7 days, and it was renewed because the wildfire is still a threat. The SOLE is separate from the evacuation order and the evacuation notice.
Click here for a video update on May 10, 2023.
According to Alberta Wildfire on May 11, 2023:
- Wildfires EWF-031, EWF-039, RWF-034 and RWF-040 are part of the Pembina Wildfire Complex and will be reported together.
- Wildfire EWF-031 is located 25 km west of Lodgepole, 20 km northwest of Brazeau Dam and 14 km southeast of Edson. It is still classified as out of control at 82,666 hectares.
- Wildfire RWF-034 is located near the O’Chiese Reserve. It is classified as out of control at 67,043 hectares.
- There are 70 firefighters, 20 pieces of heavy equipment and five helicopters assigned to the complex.
- Wildfire RCU-005 is 2 km from the south edge of Drayton Valley. It is classified as out of control at 3,500 hectares.
- Alberta Wildfire has sent firefighters and helicopters to assist Brazeau County with this wildfire.
According to Brazeau County:
“Our call centre at 780-514-2204 has been connecting with community members who have questions regarding social supports during this emergency and working to provide answers.
If our call takers are unable to provide an immediate answer, questions and requests are being logged and will be responded to in order of urgency and/or priority.
We understand that people are anxious to have answers, but we ask people if they have already contacted our centre to please wait to be contacted instead of calling the centre multiple times. Receiving multiple calls is creating a backlog in requests and in some cases delaying responses to people.
Although the process may take longer than callers would like, your request has been documented and passed on to the appropriate people to provide an answer.
Today is another busy day of heavy firefighting work for fire crews as they work to control the perimeter of the fire and extinguish hotspots southeast of the North Saskatchewan River and near the Town of Drayton Valley.
100 firefighters are working today in the east of river, and another 58 on west of the river. They are being assisted by 15 equipment operators and four helicopters.
Efforts have been made to establish fire guards around the fire. In the coming days, the weather is expected to change, bringing hot dry temperatures and increase in winds. The next few days will determine if current operations need to be adjusted due to higher risk.
While response efforts are ongoing, advanced planning is also occurring to bring the fire under control and safeguard the community and protect essential services and infrastructure. Work is also ongoing to ensure essential services are in place to support the community and our residents when the fire is controlled.”
—
In the Town of Fox Creek, Evacuation Orders remain in place:
According to Alberta Wildfire on May 11, 2023:
- This wildfire is located in the Fox Creek area. It is classified as out of control at 21,568 hectares.
- Alberta Wildfire is responding with firefighters, heavy equipment and helicopters conducting bucketing operations.
According to the Town of Fox Creek on May 11, 2023:
“For Fox Creek Wildfire Related Questions, we have a dedicated email for you. wildfirequestions@foxcreek.ca.
If the wildfire condition escalates today and over the weekend, these updates may become directly fire, town, and response related.
You will continue to receive those updates in as real time and official possible. It may not be possible to post additional, though VERY appreciated and valuable resources, shares, links, and help offers.
If you have not already add: https://www.facebook.com/groups/949872913104086/ to your collection of information resources.
7:40 a.m.: Today’s weather forecast is exactly as expected. The heat dome anticipated to roll in over Alberta will bring extreme heat, 10 degrees above normal for this time of year. Those conditions could be hazardous to front line workers and set-off new or stir-up existing wildfires.
In addition to elevated wildfire concerns, heat exhaustion is now high on the hazard risk assessment sheet.
Watch for symptoms in yourself and those around you. Headache. Confusion or dizziness. Nausea and/or vomiting. Muscle cramps. Fainting.
Stay hydrated. Stay safe. Stay where you are.”
—
According to the MD of Greenview, Crews continue to strengthen containment lines to prevent the wildfire from spreading further toward Fox Creek and Little Smoky communities.
“The Greenview Wildfire Update Session with Reeve Tyler Olsen, Regional Fire Chief Wayne Brown and RCMP Sergeant Chris Power was held on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, at 9:00 am. Unfortunately, we experienced technical difficulties, and the recording was corrupted. We asked our guests to re-film, and they graciously agreed. Please click on the video link to view the updated video on our YouTube Channel.
Depending on how events unfold over the weekend, Greenview will try to film and upload a new video on Monday, May 15, 2023. Please watch our website and Facebook page for updates.
Meantime, the head of the fire remains approximately 2 km east of Highway 43. Alberta Wildfire has helicopters, dozers, a helicopter attack and a fire attack crew working to contain this fire. Helitac crews from Oregon and Cypress Hills have arrived, along with a pre-supression crew from Quebec have arrived to assist with efforts on this wildfire.
Forestry has begun installing a 150-person Incident camp and Command trailer to be located at the DeBolt Airstrip. The first two 20-member crews with equipment and overhead are expected to arrive Thursday May 11, 2023.
Greenview would like to reiterate again the Hamlet of Grovedale and surrounding area is not in imminent danger. A fire evacuation alert remains in place in an effort to keep diligently mindful that conditions can change.
The Bald Mountain fire (Forestry # GWF-019) is located approximately 36 km south of the Hamlet of Grovedale. At this time, the fire’s size remains at approximately 8,362 ha in size. Firefighters continue to monitor this wildfire, heat was observed on five areas of the perimeter with more active fire within the burn area. No substantial growth of the fire has been observed in the past 24 hours. At this time, Forestry and the MD of Greenview are monitoring the fire closely for the potential for further movement. Currently, Grovedale residents remain under Evacuation Alert Notice. However, no further plans for formal evacuation are being planned at this time.”
—
According to Woodlands County, its partners at Alberta Wildfire are continuing to monitor EWF035/ Shining Bank Fire.
“Communication lines are flowing while their team also manages other incidents in the region.
Message from the Incident Management Team, following a flyover this morning:
“The wildfire area did see significant hail, low clouds will help keep the heat out and allow the dozers and crews to make up more ground on the northside fire perimeter this morning. Minimal fire behaviour is expected today.”
Ongoing information about EWF035 is available by visiting: https://srd.web.alberta.ca/edson-area-update.
Woodlands County is grateful for Alberta Wildfire teams on the ground, in the air, and working behind the scenes. We appreciate the sacrifices you and your families make to keep the public safe.
Preparedness is our best tool. Ensure you have the information you need to stay ahead of the game.”
https://woodlands.ab.ca/p/emergency-preparedness.
Report a Fire: 310-FIRE (3473)
https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-emergency-alert.aspx
https://511.alberta.ca/#:MyRoutes
https://www.alberta.ca/wildfire-status.aspx
—
According to Parkland County, as temperatures rise over the next few days, they encourage residents to remain on alert and always be ready for a possible evacuation.
May 11, 2023, at 10:30 a.m.:
“Although our fire crews are doing everything they can to fight the blaze, weather conditions always play a major role and can cause changes. You can stay prepared by:
- Having a bag ready to go (full of essential items like important documents, medication, food and water)
- Watch/listen for Alberta Emergency Alerts
- Ensure your vehicle has fuel
We understand that this can be a difficult time for everyone. Mental health supports are available for our residents. Please call 2-1-1 or contact Parkland County’s FCSS at 780-968-8342 to access counselling supports.”
—
According to Lac Ste. Anne County:
“The Mandatory Evacuation Alert was rescinded for the Lessard Lake Estates subdivision.
The wildfires in Lac Ste. Anne County are contained but remain active. Residents are reminded that the danger of wildfire is not over; as we’ve received minimal precipitation, and the weather forecasts high temperatures in the days ahead.
Lessard Lake Estates owners/occupants were granted re-entry to their properties on a restricted access basis.
If you as an owner were not contacted, please call the County at 780.785.3411 or toll-free 1.866.880.5722.”
