"According to Alberta Wildfire, rising temperatures, a gusting wind and no significant rain have pushed the wildfire danger in the area into the extreme range.The goal is to perform more of these controlled burn operations when conditions allow.That includes a nearly 80,000-hectare blaze in northern Alberta that forced the evacuation of the Town of High Level and the nearby Bushe River Reserve.
So until we get rain, the fire behavior situation continues to be in the extreme ... That threat still exists.
"The fire is now over 100,000 hectares and around 5,000 High Level residents are still under evacuation order.Officials have said the evacuees shouldn't expect to return before sometime later this week, but provincial emergency funds for gas, food and other expenses should be available starting today.The blaze is spreading away from the Town of High Level as it approaches 100,000 hectares in size.Alberta Wildfire incident commander Scott Elliot down warn that the forecast calls for a shift in winds early next week that could push the fire back towards High Level.As a result, around 5,000 High Level residents remain evacuated.The 92,000-hectare wildfire remains about three kilometres southwest of the town and an evacuation order is still in place for around 5,000 residents.Although the controlled burn was considered successful, Mayor Crystal McAteer stressed on Wednesday that the town is still at the mercy of the weather. To battle these two fires, there are 142 wildland firefighters, 23 helicopters, one airtanker and eight pieces of heavy equipment assigned to the area. "The fire is now over 100,000 hectares and around 5,000 High Level residents are still under evacuation order.Officials have said the evacuees shouldn't expect to return before sometime later this week, but provincial emergency funds for gas, food and other expenses should be available starting today.The blaze is spreading away from the Town of High Level as it approaches 100,000 hectares in size.Alberta Wildfire incident commander Scott Elliot down warn that the forecast calls for a shift in winds early next week that could push the fire back towards High Level.As a result, around 5,000 High Level residents remain evacuated.The 92,000-hectare wildfire remains about three kilometres southwest of the town and an evacuation order is still in place for around 5,000 residents.Although the controlled burn was considered successful, Mayor Crystal McAteer stressed on Wednesday that the town is still at the mercy of the weather. "If there was a subtle shift in the wind direction, that would increase the likelihood of rapid fire spread towards the community," Elliot said.A reception centre has been set up for evacuees in Slave Lake, Alta., which is just under five hours away by car. "Continued hot and dry conditions along with variable, gusty winds have proved a challenge to firefighting efforts and safety," says the latest update from Alberta Wildfire.Crews continue to perform controlled burns in an attempt to control the fire's perimeter and are hoping that cooler, calmer conditions can help them get head.Scott Elliot, Alberta Wildfire incident commander, said the wind shifted and is now coming out of the south, which means "smoke will start drifting towards town. Vouchers are available for hotels. (UPDATE: May 23 @ 7:30 a.m.) - A controlled burn has been carried out south and west of High Level and protect the community from the nearby Chuckegg Creek Fire. We are asking for your support of local journalism. ... COVID-19 UPDATE – July 13, 2020 As of July 13, Alberta Health has confirmed 230 new cases in Alberta in the last 72 hours. The Town of High Level’s Chuckegg Creek fire exhibit is available for viewing online. Map of the Chuckegg Creek HWF042 wildfire southwest of High Level, Alberta at 5:18 a.m. CDT May 20, 2019. If you like what we do and believe it has value that adds to our community, we would appreciate your consideration. "Continued hot and dry conditions along with variable, gusty winds have proved a challenge to firefighting efforts and safety," says the latest update from Alberta Wildfire.Crews continue to perform controlled burns in an attempt to control the fire's perimeter and are hoping that cooler, calmer conditions can help them get head.Scott Elliot, Alberta Wildfire incident commander, said the wind shifted and is now coming out of the south, which means "smoke will start drifting towards town. To battle these two fires, there are 142 wildland firefighters, 23 helicopters, one airtanker and eight pieces of heavy equipment assigned to the area. So until we get rain, the fire behavior situation continues to be in the extreme ... That threat still exists. "Officials, however, remain confident that the work they've done in recent days will keep the flames away from High Level. "Officials, however, remain confident that the work they've done in recent days will keep the flames away from High Level. As of 11 a.m. Thursday, it was approximately 2,300 square kilometres — or 230,000 hectares. "We’ve done many of the things we need to do in order to make sure the community is going to be safe from wildfire," said Elliot. There's a second out of control fire, the Steen River wildfire, in the area as well, which was last measured at 17,419 hectares. "We’ve done many of the things we need to do in order to make sure the community is going to be safe from wildfire," said Elliot. "I want to stress the importance to everyone, especially evacuees, that the danger has not passed nor has it diminished," McAteer said. Access KelownaNow using your Facebook account, or by entering your information below.Since Monday, the out of control blaze has grown from just over 100,000 hectares to the latest estimate of 230,000 hectares. The phone number for reception is 780 843 5651. The phone number for reception is 780 843 5651.
Vouchers are available for hotels. British Columbia is sending 267 personnel to assist, which includes 230 firefighters, three agency representatives, a 19-person incident management team and 14 supervisors.They'll be deployed on Wednesday and Thursday to various areas depending on where they're needed.All associated costs regarding this assistance will be paid for by Alberta.The winds have started to push the fire, which was last measured at 69,000 hectares, away from the town and the nearby Bushe River Reserve.Both communities were evacuated as the blaze got to within three kilometres of High Level, but Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says the fire is now about five kilometres away.Winds are forecasted to be out of the southeast for the next several days, which will continue to push the fire away from homes and other buildings.HIGH LEVEL EVACUATION UPDATE #1 (9:15 P.M.) -- The High Level evacuees are starting to arrive. It will be open 24 hours. The reception center in Slave Lake is at the Legacy. "The biggest thing for us is the conditions have continued to get worse. "I want to stress the importance to everyone, especially evacuees, that the danger has not passed nor has it diminished," McAteer said.