Swan Hills on evacuation standby as wildfire threatens northern Alberta town

Global News

26-05-2025

The residents of Swan Hills were told Monday to be ready to flee within an hour's notice — an upgraded notice from an evacuation alert first issued Sunday night for the town in northwestern Alberta.
An Alberta Emergency Alert said the community of about 1,300 people should be prepared to evacuate with their pets, important documents, medications, a full talk of fuel and enough supplies to be away from home for at least three days.
A wildfire broke out Sunday near the community. As of Monday afternoon, the 1,606-hectare blaze was about eight kilometres north of Swan Hills and five kilometres west of Highway 33 — the only road north of town.
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An aerial photo of the SWF076 wildfire near Swan Hills, taken on May 25. Alberta Wildfire
Monday will be an active weather day across Alberta, Environment and Climate Change Canada forecasted, and the emergency alert on Sunday night said a change of winds could force an evacuation.
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The community was forced to flee under similar circumstances two years ago.
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Alberta Wildfires: Swan Hills latest community forced to flee after shift in winds
If an evacuation does become required, the Town of Swan Hills said there will be a public reception center in Whitecourt, located about 80 kilometres to the south.
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The fire risk in that part of Alberta was extreme on Monday — the top of the chart — Alberta Wildfire said in their daily update for the Slave Lake forest area, due to hot, dry and windy conditions.
Strong winds are gusting across Alberta, combined with rising temperatures in the mid-20s and thunderstorms in the forecast — all elements that help to fuel existing fires and provide the prime conditions for new blazes to break out.
'A north-south oriented trough combined with a cold front that will move from west to east across Alberta will initiate showers and thunderstorms,' Environment Canada said.
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'These high-based thunderstorms will move quickly, making strong wind gusts, up to 100 km/h, the primary threat. Nickel-sized hail is also possible in central and northern regions.'
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Click to share quote on Twitter: "These high-based thunderstorms will move quickly, making strong wind gusts, up to 100 km/h, the primary threat. Nickel-sized hail is also possible in central and northern regions."
Alberta Wildfire said a night-vision-equipped helicopter, firefighters and three heavy equipment groups worked through the night to contain the southern side of the fire near Swan Hills.
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An aerial photo of the SWF076 wildfire near Swan Hills, taken on May 25. Alberta Wildfire
Water skimming air tankers also joined the fight against the fire on Monday morning, and a wildland urban interface crew will be joining firefighters to do assessments in the Swan Hills area later Monday.
Temperatures will be cooler on Tuesday, however by midweek, Environment Canada said daytime highs are expected to be near 30 C again for much of the province.
— More to come…