Hot and dry weather persists in Alberta with a blanket of smoke hampering visibility for much of the province.
“I’ll be very blunt. The situation does remain very volatile. We must remain vigilant,” Mike Ellis, minister of public safety and emergency services, said during the daily press conference Wednesday afternoon.
“Our number one priority is that we fight these fires and we deal with the extreme fire conditions in order to protect human lives.…
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“It’s important that we are all doing our part to support these efforts. That includes being mindful of the fire risks that are upcoming this long weekend as temperatures are expected to climb again. It will be critical to avoid any activities that might start new fires or make the current situation worse.”
Smoke continues to be an issue affecting air quality and visibility throughout Alberta. A special air quality statement remains in place for most of the province, with many areas still sitting higher than 10 on the air quality index, which indicates extremely poor air quality.
In areas of very poor air quality, people should consider staying inside as much as possible.
Some communities have been mobilizing to evacuate, while other areas have already been evacuated.
Since the wildfire season began, approximately 38,000 Albertans have been evacuated from their homes or communities. As of Wednesday morning, 19 evacuation orders are in place, but several evacuation orders have been partially or fully rescinded.
Since the announcement of one-time emergency financial assistance for evacuees, more than 11,200 applications have been processed. More than $16.4 million in transfers have been sent to evacuees, and more than $3.9 million in debit cards have been distributed.
Alberta continues to be under a provincial state of emergency, and the provincial Emergency Co-ordination Center remains at level four.
There are 22 states of local emergency, as well as five band council resolutions. Almost 12,000 Albertans remain evacuated at this time, and 14 reception centres are open for affected areas. The total number of evacuation orders now stands at 19.
Evacuated farmers and ranchers should call the wildlife resource line at 310-4455 with questions regarding livestock.
There are 91 wildfires in the province’s forest protection area, with 27 of those out of control. Firefighters have responded to 485 wildfires, which have burned almost 1.8 million acres.
It was reported Tuesday that a firefighter was seriously injured while working on a wildfire near East Prairie Metis Settlement, about 170 kilometres east of Grande Prairie and 40 km south of High Prairie.
Christie Tucker, Alberta Wildlife information unit manager did not provide further details but said news like this is felt by every firefighter, and “our hearts sincerely go out to his family.”
“We prioritize the safety of firefighters very, very highly. We’re all part of the same firefighting family and nobody wants to see an injury, particularly a bad injury,” said Tucker.
“This is a reminder to all of us about the challenges faced by firefighters and the risks involved with wildfire. While some evacuated Albertans have begun going home, we all need to remember that this situation is volatile.”
