Wildfires in Northern Alberta: Cooler Temperatures and Rain Bring Temporary Relief but New Blazes Sparked by Lightning
Key Highlights :
As wildfires continue to rage in northern Alberta, cooler temperatures and a bit of rain have brought some relief for the brave firefighters battling the blazes. However, provincial officials have warned that the reprieve is only in some areas and that lightning is sparking new fires.
“People have called this season certainly unprecedented in recent memory because we have so many fires so spread out,” said Christie Tucker with Alberta Wildfire during a media briefing on Sunday. “It's been an unusual year.”
At the time of the briefing, there were 108 active fires and the number of evacuees had grown to about 29,000, up from approximately 24,000 the day before. Of the 108 fires, 31 were classified as out-of-control.
While weather conditions were improving somewhat in southern and central areas, including some showers as far north as Fox Creek, areas further north weren't as lucky. In response to the situation, a provincewide state of emergency was declared on Saturday.
“Thankfully, there's some rain today, but to have stuff happen this early, it's going to make for a very long summer,” said Chantelle Lalonde of the Darwell Agricultural Society near Evansburg, which has been taking in animals from landowners in the vicinity who've been forced to evacuate.
Tucker explained that scattered showers in some areas made it safer for firefighters to get closer to the flames. “When we see that lifting in conditions — a little bit of humidity, a little bit of coolness — it means that our firefighters can actually get a little bit closer to areas of the fire they had not been able to get into before,” she said. “The thing that really puts out the flames is boots on the ground.”
Unfortunately, higher temperatures were forecast to return to most areas in a couple of days. The situation has been especially frustrating for evacuees, who have packed their trucks with everything they own and driven out of their homes with no idea if they will have a home to return to.
“None of us know if our property has been burned,” said Keith Lenz, one of the evacuees. “The most stressful part is knowing where the fire has burned, what's left, where it is now, or how much damage has been in those areas.”
Accurate damage reports have been difficult to come by, as conditions have made it difficult to get them. However, there have been reports of buildings being destroyed, including 20 homes, a police station and a store in Fox Lake in northern Alberta. Electric transmission company AltaLink posted on Twitter late Saturday that “the incredible work of firefighters” had slowed fire growth that was threatening infrastructure that supplies power to areas west of Edson, including Hinton, Robb and Jasper, and that cooler weather was expected to help, too.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith met with Opposition Leader Rachel Notley on Sunday, which Smith said was intended to keep the NDP leader informed about the wildfire situation and the state of emergency. Alberta is in the middle of an election campaign with a vote on May 29, and some candidates in areas affected by the fires have announced they are suspending campaign activities.
The City of Calgary tweeted that it's expecting to open a reception centre for evacuees on Monday. Alberta Health Services has evacuated several health-care sites in response to evacuation orders and is contacting families of loved ones to share patient and resident location information.
While the cooler temperatures and rain have brought some relief, the danger of the wildfires in northern Alberta is still very much present. It is a reminder of the importance of staying vigilant and prepared in order to protect our communities and the environment.
