Fire danger high as wildfire southwest of Grande Prairie triggers evacuation orders

Officials in the County of Grande Prairie say crews feature made important come on battling a wildfire that forced some people from their northern Alberta homes o'er the weekend.

In a financial statement Sunday evening, emergency officials said the county's regional fire service and Alberta Wildfire have been working to contain the fire using retardant dropped by air tankers and by building a dozer guard to help contain the spread.

An evacuation order remains in effect for an area of the county, which includes a stretch of rural properties and a handful of subdivisions on the outskirts of the Alberta city, roughly 390 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.

A total fire ban for the entire county, along with the towns of Beaverlodge, Sexsmith and Wembley, came in to effect at 8 a.m. MT Monday. 

The evacuation orders were issued Sunday afternoon. 

Residents living south of Township Road 710 to 27th Avenue and east of Range Road 64 to Highway 40 remain on evacuation order. 

An Alberta Emergency alert ordered people to evacuate immediately and to gather important documents, medication and medical devices and go to the Pomeroy Hotel in Grande Prairie.

Everyone else in the area is under an evacuation alert and should be prepared to leave immediately.

A wildfire burning north of the Deer Ridge Estates area burned out of control throughout the weekend, putting homes under threat, shutting down local roads and filling the sky with water tankers.

Fire crews were expected to work throughout the night Sunday. 

In Sunday's statement, county officials said no homes had been destroyed and efforts continue to protect local properties. 

The wildfire risk in the region remains very high and crews are expected to face clear skies, an afternoon high of 18 C and wind gusts up to 40 km/h.

Fire conditions in the region are extreme with tinder dry grass and vegetation expected to create intense conditions for crews.  

A wildfire near the Redwater Recreation Area, about 60 kilometres northeast of Edmonton, has also put residents on edge.

An evacuation alert remains in effect for an area of Sturgeon County north of the North Saskatchewan River. According to an emergency alert, residents in the area should be prepared to evacuate if the situation worsens.

An out-of-control wildfire in the area has triggered a state of local emergency. 

As of early Sunday morning, the fire had not crossed the North Saskatchewan River, but one home had been destroyed as the flames spread through the rural farmland that surrounds the provincial park.

Reporter

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