UPDATED at 4:25 p.m. on May 23, 2023.
Yellowhead County has cancelled a Wildfire Evacuation Order for the Shining Bank area, effect as of 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 23, 2023.
According to Alberta Emergency Alert, residents west of the McLeod River will no longer be in an evacuation zone or under any alert. Residents east of the McLeod River east to Range Rd 110 and south to the CN Rail Line will still be under a 30-minute evacuation alert in case conditions change.
The map below shows the alert zone.
(Yellowhead County)
Emergency crews are still working in the area. Follow directions of local authorities. Go to www.facebook.com/yellowheadcounty or www.yhcounty.ca for updates. Follow 511.alberta.ca for highway closures and information.
According to Yellowhead County:
“These areas will allow LOCAL TRAFFIC ONLY due to the active wildfire and the hazards that currently exist in the area, such as dangerous trees, potentially downed power poles, and ash pits that could be several feet deep. We ask all locals within the area to take extreme care when out and about, and please stay out of the burn areas.
A reminder that wildfires are still active in the area, although the risk has been reduced thanks to firefighting efforts and the shift in weather. Please stay prepared for potential changes in the situation.
Residents should check utilities on arrival to ensure everything is operational. If you have utility concerns, please contact your service provider as soon as possible.
Emergency crews will still be working in the area. Please give them space and allow them to operate. Fire bans and OHV Bans are still in place across the County and the Edson Forest Area.
For more re-entry tips and information, please check out the re-entry package on the Yellowhead County website www.yhcounty.ca. The package includes safety information, insurance information, and a list of contact numbers for utility services.
Please call the Emergency Coordination Centre at 1-833-334-4630 for any questions about the evacuation and re-entry.
For information on the provincial funding for evacuees, call 310-4455 or go to alberta.ca/emergency.”
Watch today’s update from Yellowhead County.
According to Alberta Wildfire on May 23, 2023:
- Wildfires WCU-001 and WCU-002 are in the area of Evansburg, Entwistle, Wildwood, Lobstick and Hansonville. They are classified as out of control 7,058 hectares (WCU001) and 2,401 hectares (WCU002).
- Wildfire EWF-035 is located 3 km southeast of Shining Bank and is classified as out of control at 20,996 hectares.
- 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 113,244 hectares.
Also from Yellowhead County:
“DO NOT tamper with, move, or remove equipment in a fire zone. This equipment has been strategically placed to protect as many structures as possible and to aid in overall containment efforts.
Unhooking hoses, turning off water pumps, and moving or stealing equipment not only hampers firefighting efforts and puts residents and their properties at further risk, but it is ILLEGAL and can result in serious fines and consequences.
If you are found tampering with a piece of equipment, you would be charged under the criminal code for mischief (under or over $5000, depending on the damage caused to the equipment).
– Criminal Code: Section 430 (1) defines mischief as the wilful destruction of property, making it dangerous or useless to others.
– Maximum penalty for mischief under $5000 is imprisonment of 2 years less a day and/or a fine to the max of $5000 (penalty is more if damage exceeds $5000).
If you have taken equipment, you would be charged under the criminal code for theft (over or under $5000 depending on the value of the item):
– Criminal Code; Section 322 (1) defines theft as anyone who fraudulently takes or convers something without the owner’s consent and with the intent to deprive the owner of their property.
– Maximum penalty for theft under $5000 is imprisonment of 2 years less a day and/or a fine to the max of $5000. (penalty is more if the item(s) value exceeds $5000).
If you see someone tampering with, moving, or stealing equipment, PLEASE CALL 9-1-1 and report them. Help us in the fight against these wildfires.”
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A Mandatory Evacuation Order remains in effect for the Town of Swan Hills.
According to Alberta Emergency Alert, evacuees are reminded there is no re-entry into the community at this time.
“With cooler temperatures and precipitation in the forecast, we will see a down trend in fire behaviour this week. The Town has begun to move some essential personnel back to Town to begin making arrangements for a re-entry. There is currently no re-entry at the time of this post, and this will be communicated to the public once all trigger points for a safe return have been met. Follow, www.alberta.ca/emergencyalert and Town of Swan Hills Web Site or Town of Swan Hills Facebook page.”
According to Alberta Wildfire on May 23, 2023:
- Wildfire SWF-064 is located over 40 km northwest of Swan Hills, is classified as out of control and has burned 40,060 hectares.
According to the Town of Swan Hills:
“The evacuation order remains in effect. A colder front has moved in bringing showers, heavy at times. These conditions will be conducive to minimal fire behaviour for the three fires burning northwest and north of town (Grizzly Complex Fires). From last night to this morning, the Town received between 30 – 35 mm of rain. Crews continue to work on the fires managing hot areas and potential flare-ups with hand crews and heavy equipment continues to work on fireguard lines.
The local fire department, public works, and mutual aid partners continue to finalize fire protection initiatives in Town with the potential that most of these tanks etc., will remain in place for the duration of the fire season. All utilities remained on with no outages.
The Town has begun to move some essential personnel back to Town to begin making arrangements for a re-entry. There is currently no re-entry at the time of this post, and this will be communicated to the public once all trigger points for a safe return have been met.
Follow, www.alberta.ca/emergencyalert and Town of Swan Hills website or Town of Swan Hills Facebook page.”
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An Evacuation Order remains in place near Fox Creek and Little Smoky in the Municipal District of Greenview.
According to Alberta Emergency Alert, the Evacuation Order is still in effect for Fox Creek to Little Smoky and all areas immediately surrounding these communities up to Highway 947, including Townships to the west and southwest.
The evacuation order due to wildfire is still in place. The M.D. of Greenview will issue another update for all residents tomorrow, May 24 at 10:00 a.m.
There are road closures in the area. Evacuees should check 511.alberta.ca/#:Alerts for up to date road closure information.
A Reception Centre is located at the Allan and Jean Millar Centre, 58 Sunset Blvd in Whitecourt. Call 780-524-6584 for assistance.
Residents between Township Road 683 to 670 and Range Road 232 to 211 must prepare to evacuate on 1-hour notice.
According to Alberta Wildfire on May 23, 2023:
- “Wildfire WWF-023 is located 1 km from Fox Creek and 10.5 km from Little Smoky. It is classified as out of control at 72,830 hectares.
- GWF-027 is located in the M.D. Greenview and is classified as out of control at 54,274 hectares.
According to the Town of Fox Creek:
“Fire operations will proceed as they did yesterday with crews continuing to work towards achieving full containment on the fire guard on both fires. We received a good amount of precipitation over the last 12 hours which has allowed us to continue to move forward with our re-entry plans. Essential workers have been identified and are being brought back into the community to prepare for re-entry for our residents.
The area is still experiencing heavy smoke due to the ongoing wildfire. If you have medical concerns, we advise taking necessary precautions or delaying entry until air quality improves. You can find current Air Quality information at: Fox Creek Air Quality Index (AQI) https://www.iqair.com/ca/canada/alberta/fox-creek
A state of local emergency remains in effect for the Town of Fox Creek.”
According to the MD of Greenview:
“While we are all happy to see some rain in many areas of Greenview, we want to remind everyone of the FIRE BAN and OHV BAN still in effect for all areas in the MD of Greenview. Please do not do any burning at all or have campfires at this time.
Please be advised that the Tony Creek Lagoon will be closed until further notice due to power disruptions caused by wildfire damage.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank everyone for understanding.
For questions or concerns, please contact Utilities On Call at 780-552-4825. “
Additional information: LittleSmoky_Fire_EvacMay2023-New-8.5×11-1200×1553.png, http://www.alberta.ca/emergencyalert, http://www.alberta.ca/BePrepared, https://mdgreenview.ab.ca/, https://511.alberta.ca/
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A Wildfire Alert remains in place for a southern portion of Woodlands County.
According to Alberta Emergency Alert, this alert is in effect for everyone in the area:
North of Township Rd 561, west of Range Road 120, south of Groat Creek Road, Twp Rd 584 west of the McLeod River, to RR 144 east of the McLeod River to RR 123 at Whitecourt Mountain.
There is a wildfire south of Township Road 570, west of RR 123, north of Twp Rd 560 and east of Shining Bank. No evacuation is required currently. However, with worsening weather conditions, this fire could force evacuation of the affected area.
Everyone in the affected area must prepare for a possible evacuation. Gather pets, important documents and medication, enough food, water and supplies for at least three days. This alert will be updated if an evacuation is required. Stay tuned to www.alberta.ca/emergencyalert, and local media for updates.
According to Woodlands County:
“FIRE BANS remain in place. The Forest Protection Areas across Alberta are under strict fire bans to help prevent further wildfires in these high risk continues. View approved and prohibited activities by visiting https://www.albertafirebans.ca/”
Additional information: Zone-1-EWF035-11-May-2023.png, http://alberta.ca/BePrepared, https://woodlands.ab.ca/.
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