Evacuation alert issued for Alberta town of Slave Lake as wildfire draws near
An evacuation alert now in effect includes everyone in the town, as well as some properties northeast of the townsite in the surrounding municipal district.
According to the alert issued at 9 p.m. Sunday, people living within the town should be prepared to leave their homes within eight hours of the notice being issued.
Those living within the evacuation zone in the surrounding Municipal District of Lesser Slave River, including properties along Devonshire Road North, should be prepared to evacuate within four hours.
According to the alert, a wildfire burning northeast of Slave Lake and east of Highway 88 has put the town under threat.
Forestry crews are actively working to contain the wildfire, but conditions remain volatile and can change quickly, and smoke has drifting toward the community, town officials cautioned in an update to residents on Sunday.
While no evacuation is necessary, people should prepare to leave by packing essentials including medication, important documents, pet supplies, water and clothing, and by keeping their vehicles fuelled and ready, officials said.
Around 7,000 people live in the town, surrounded by forest 255 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.
The community is no stranger to the danger posed by wildfires. A wildfire burned about one-third of the town in May 2011, destroying nearly 400 homes and businesses.
According to Alberta Wildfire's provincial dashboard, the fire northeast of Slave Lake began Sunday, sparked by a lightning strike.
As of Sunday afternoon, the flames had burned across 44 hectares of forest and continued to burn out of control, northeast of Lesser Slave Lake.
According to Alberta Wildfire, the blaze is among 11 now burning in the Slave Lake wildfire district.
The wildfire danger in the region is considered very high, with officials monitoring closely for new fire activity amid hot and dry conditions and a cluster of lightning strikes over the weekend.
While the fire near Slave Lake puts residents on edge, another cluster of fires in the district has already brought devastation to the region.
One of the fires, now covering more than 137,000 hectares, moved in on the remote community of Chipewyan Lake in in late May, burning nearly half of the structures in the community, including its health centre and water treatment plant, to the ground.
As the community, about 450 kilometres north of Edmonton, assesses the damage and faces the challenges of a long rebuild ahead, the 100 residents who call Chipewyan Lake home have remained under evacuation since May 28.
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