A burnt landscape caused by wildfires near Entrance, Wild Hay area, in Alberta on May 10.MEGAN ALBU/AFP/Getty Images
Firefighters are bracing for a heat wave and extremely dry conditions over the weekend that could worsen wildfires burning across Alberta that have displaced thousands from their homes.
There were 75 active wildfires burning in central and northern regions of the province on Thursday afternoon, with 23 listed as out of control. Scattered showers and cooler temperatures have helped firefighters stifle some blazes this week but officials are on “high alert” for the days ahead.
Christie Tucker, a spokesperson for Alberta Wildfire, said there are more than 1,500 Albertans fighting the blazes, including more than 700 wildland firefighters, heavy equipment and airtanker operators. In addition to help from 284 firefighters from out of province, 300 members of the Canadian military have been deployed to Alberta.
“We are certainly as prepared as we can be going into this weekend,” Ms. Tucker said during a news conference in Edmonton. An unseasonable heat wave with daytime highs soaring up to 15 C above normal is expected for Alberta and neighbouring British Columbia.
She said fighting new fires remains the number one priority because if firefighters can prevent these blazes from becoming “too big and powerful” then there is a greater chance of extinguishing them completely. She said fires that have been burning for longer periods of time in Alberta are proving difficult to suffocate for this reason.
“Certainly the conditions we’ve seen in the last few days have helped a significant amount and we’ve seen low fire activity, which means we’ve been able to make [some] progress on those,” Ms. Tucker said.
“But a wind gust will have a significant impact on a wildfire and that’s what can turn one of those smaller new starts into a larger fire very quickly. It can also wake up a fire that has been showing low activity because of cooler temperatures.”
Colin Blair, executive director of the Alberta Emergency Management Agency, said there were roughly 16,470 evacuees on Thursday, down from a high of about 31,000 earlier in the week. Thirteen evacuation orders remain in effect, as do 19 states of local emergency and four band council resolutions.
So far, more than 6,500 Albertans have applied for one-time emergency relief payments, said Mike Ellis, Minister of Public Safety. E-transfers totalling $2-million and $77,000 in debit cards have been distributed to evacuees.
In his remarks during the press conference, Mr. Ellis stressed that Albertans must remain vigilant as it will take a long time to extinguish these fires. “This is an enormous, almost Herculean effort,” he said.
Earlier on Thursday, it was announced that both Ottawa and the Alberta government will match donations to the Canadian Red Cross, meaning every $1 donated becomes $3.
Troops from the Canadian Armed Forces are to be deployed to Drayton Valley, Fox Creek and Grande Prairie in central Alberta where they will assist with basic firefighting, evacuations and engineering support, which includes heavy equipment operation.
The resources from Ottawa are to be provided for two weeks initially, with a one-week extension possible if help is still required. The air force is on standby to assist with evacuations, including from remote communities.
“Albertans will see this movement by vehicle on roads and in the air, as some forces and equipment will be moved by Royal Canadian Air Force fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters,” said an Alberta government press release. “This movement and the establishment of these positions will create bases of operations for the forces to conduct fire mitigation efforts.”
Federal Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair said on Thursday that resources are already being moved into affected communities but said there is one request from Alberta that Ottawa won’t fulfill.
“They also asked, for example, that the Canadian Armed Forces would be deployed to provide security in evacuated communities and that’s a policing function,” Mr. Blair said. “I’ve said we’re not going to … provide the military to do that, because that’s not what they are there for.”
With a report from The Canadian Press