Latest news with #DaybreakAlberta
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Out-of-control wildfire sparks Sturgeon County to declare local state of emergency
An out-of-control wildfire in Sturgeon County, Alta., has burned down one house, scattered animals and forced residents to standby ready to evacuate. The county issued an evacuation notice Saturday evening, warning residents to prepare to flee in case conditions worsen. Shortly after midnight, the county declared a local state of emergency. "We're just keeping people safe and trying to protect property," Mayor Alanna Hnatiw told CBC Radio's Daybreak Alberta on Sunday. The evacuation notice affects people living around the Redwater Provincial Recreation Area, about 60 kilometres northeast of Edmonton. Late Saturday night, RCMP issued news releases saying officers from multiple departments were responding. Emergency personnel were helping people evacuate, but police didn't specify how many. At 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, the county issued another update, stating the evacuation area includes: Range Road 205 to Victoria Trail; Township 574 to Range Road 205; Township 574 to Range Road 203; South of Township 580 to the North Saskatchewan River; East of Range Road 212 to the North Saskatchewan River. As of 1:30 a.m. Sunday, temporary road closures were implemented around the provincial park. Only county residents are allowed into the area, the county said. Alberta Wildfire estimated the fire to span nearly 390 hectares, according to the agency's dashboard as of 12:45 p.m. In its update Sunday afternoon, the county said three helicopters are part of the fire fight. "If winds can change, situations can change," Hnatiw said. "We just want to be able to allow emergency response to do their jobs, with as minimal barriers as possible." The local state of emergency, she said, allows fire crews to enter property or use equipment needed to respond to the flames. As of early Sunday morning, the fire had not crossed the North Saskatchewan River, to the southeast of the flames, but they had burned down one house, Hnatiw affected area, with a mix of forest and farmland, is not densely populated. But she said there are some cattle and poultry farms. The family whose home burned down was able to evacuate their herd of cattle, Hnatiw said. "Our hearts go out to them," Hnatiw said. "Often, if farms have cattle, they have other animals as well and [we] have yet to find out what has taken place." Hnatiw said she's grateful the family was able to establish a cattle liner. But it's also a sign that wildfires are becoming a common threat for residents. "Losing not just your animals, but your assets, would certainly add to further complication and suffering, to what is, I'm quite sure, already a horrendous loss to the family," Hnatiw said. "We're just grateful that everyone is able to get out safe." Officials from the county's families and community services has contacted the family to support them however they need, she said. The Alberta Wildfire dashboard shows Sturgeon County is under a fire restriction, which bans wood fires on public lands. The fire risk in most of the county, including where the out-of-control fire is burning, is very high. Prescribed burn leads to fire in northwest Alberta An "unexpected wind event" turned a prescribed burn along the Peace River, in northwestern Alberta, into a large out-of-control fire, according to Alberta Wildfire. Late Friday afternoon, wind fanned the flames on the Hutton Creek prescribed fire project, breaking the containment barrier, the agency said in an update at 1:45 p.m. Sunday. Crews are working to put out the fire, which is estimated to span 1,200 hectares. The flames are about 35 kilometres southeast of Manning, Alta., but on the opposite side of the river, the Alberta Wildfire dashboard shows. But in its update Sunday afternoon, Alberta Wildfire said the fire does not pose a threat to nearby communities. The dashboard shows the region is under a fire advisory, which signals an elevated fire risk but doesn't ban any flames other than fireworks and exploding targets. The potential fire danger where it is burning is very high.
CBC
04-05-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Out-of-control wildfire sparks Sturgeon County to declare local state of emergency
Social Sharing An out-of-control wildfire in Sturgeon County, Alta., has burned down one house, scattered animals and forced residents to standby ready to evacuate. The county issued an evacuation notice Saturday evening, warning residents to prepare to flee in case conditions worsen. Shortly after midnight, the county declared a local state of emergency. "We're just keeping people safe and trying to protect property," Mayor Alanna Hnatiw told CBC Radio's Daybreak Alberta on Sunday. The evacuation notice affects people living around the Redwater Provincial Recreation Area, about 60 kilometres northeast of Edmonton. Late Saturday night, RCMP issued news releases saying officers from multiple departments were responding. Emergency personnel were helping people evacuate, but police didn't specify how many. At 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, the county issued another update, stating the evacuation area includes: Range Road 205 to Victoria Trail; Township 574 to Range Road 205; Township 574 to Range Road 203; South of Township 580 to the North Saskatchewan River; East of Range Road 212 to the North Saskatchewan River. As of 1:30 a.m. Sunday, temporary road closures were implemented around the provincial park. Only county residents are allowed into the area, the county said. Alberta Wildfire estimated the fire to span nearly 390 hectares, according to the agency's dashboard as of 12:45 p.m. In its update Sunday afternoon, the county said three helicopters are part of the fire fight. "If winds can change, situations can change," Hnatiw said. "We just want to be able to allow emergency response to do their jobs, with as minimal barriers as possible." The local state of emergency, she said, allows fire crews to enter property or use equipment needed to respond to the flames. As of early Sunday morning, the fire had not crossed the North Saskatchewan River, to the southeast of the flames, but they had burned down one house, Hnatiw said. The affected area, with a mix of forest and farmland, is not densely populated. But she said there are some cattle and poultry farms. The family whose home burned down was able to evacuate their herd of cattle, Hnatiw said. "Our hearts go out to them," Hnatiw said. "Often, if farms have cattle, they have other animals as well and [we] have yet to find out what has taken place." Hnatiw said she's grateful the family was able to establish a cattle liner. But it's also a sign that wildfires are becoming a common threat for residents. "Losing not just your animals, but your assets, would certainly add to further complication and suffering, to what is, I'm quite sure, already a horrendous loss to the family," Hnatiw said. "We're just grateful that everyone is able to get out safe." Officials from the county's families and community services has contacted the family to support them however they need, she said. The Alberta Wildfire dashboard shows Sturgeon County is under a fire restriction, which bans wood fires on public lands. The fire risk in most of the county, including where the out-of-control fire is burning, is very high. Prescribed burn leads to fire in northwest Alberta An "unexpected wind event" turned a prescribed burn along the Peace River, in northwestern Alberta, into a large out-of-control fire, according to Alberta Wildfire. Late Friday afternoon, wind fanned the flames on the Hutton Creek prescribed fire project, breaking the containment barrier, the agency said in an update at 1:45 p.m. Sunday. Crews are working to put out the fire, which is estimated to span 1,200 hectares. The flames are about 35 kilometres southeast of Manning, Alta., but on the opposite side of the river, the Alberta Wildfire dashboard shows. But in its update Sunday afternoon, Alberta Wildfire said the fire does not pose a threat to nearby communities. The dashboard shows the region is under a fire advisory, which signals an elevated fire risk but doesn't ban any flames other than fireworks and exploding targets. The potential fire danger where it is burning is very high.
CBC
14-03-2025
- CBC
A lost pair of 'pincers' gave this town its name. Daybreak Alberta was live from Pincher Creek
Pincher Creek residents were waiting outside the local shop even before Daybreak Alberta started broadcasting live from their downtown this month. The show got a warm welcome and a good crowd at Seeds, a cafe and store in the small southern Alberta town, about two hours south of Calgary on the Cowboy Trail. The town is south of Highway 3, within view of the snow-topped mountains and is a common-stopover for folks driving from Calgary to Waterton Lakes National Park. The March 1 broadcast was part of CBC Calgary and CBC Edmonton's Out Your Way library project, which aims to bring people together and keep discovering the unique communities across Alberta. It's a collaboration with The Alberta Library (TAL), a non-profit that supports more than 300 libraries across the province. Listen to highlights on the Daybreak Alberta podcast Daybreak Alberta host Paul Karchut kicked off the show by interviewing Jacalyn Anderson, owner of Seeds, who shared the shop's origin story. She said it grew from a local farmers' market where Anderson used to sell flowers. Now the shop sells baked goods, homestyle meals and coffee, in addition to local products. It's a bright, welcoming space where visitors can buy anything from yarn to flower seeds or birthday cards. Libraries are often centres of conversation and connection within their communities, and the Pincher Creek library was critical to making this event happen. Library manager Kayla Lorenzen helped the CBC team learn about the hidden gems of the town and introduced them to many local movers and shakers. In a string of live interviews, Karchut and local residents shared stories about the thriving local music scene and the many activities happening around town, such as efforts to preserve the history, increase opportunities for cross-country skiing and restore the historic local hotel. Gord Tolton, with the Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village, said the name of the town came from a lost pair of "pincers," a tool for reshodding horses. Residents also talked about the Grassy Mountain coal mine that's proposed for near Pincher Creek. Supporters welcome the opportunity for economic growth, while detractors are worried about the environmental impact. A decision on whether the proposal can move ahead is currently with the Alberta Energy Regulator. Daybreak Alberta spoke with Bette Mitchell, ranch manager for Flint Rock Ranch at the south end of the Porcupine Hills and north of the Oldman Reservoir. She is also a treasurer with Livingstone Landowners Group. She called it "a very contentious issue" for the area, and one that has been dragging on for a long time because of multiple provincial decisions. The proposal was denied in 2021 before being reopened. "A lot of ranchers, and I can't speak for all of them, but for sure the landowners groups … are frustrated that we're back looking at this again." Pincher Creek Mayor Don Anderberg also joined Daybreak Alberta to discuss coal mining, the changing demographics in Pincher Creek and water security. It was great to see how busy main street and Seeds was because of the event, he said. "Everybody coming together [from] all kinds of walks of life here," said Anderberg. "Myself and everybody else here, we're engaging with people we might not even know. It's great." The show wrapped up with an interview with the cultural program co-ordinator with the Piikani First Nation, Jaron Weaselbear. He gave a traditional Blackfoot introduction, and shared that his traditional Blackfoot name translates to Singing in the Water. "I hold great value to that name, because that was given to me by my great grandmother," said Weaselbear. "Our traditional Blackfoot names — that pretty much tells you who you are going to be in life and basically all my life I've been a singer. So [my grandmother] pretty much knew what I was going to be doing when I was growing up." With a federal election call looming, Pincher Creek residents who came out to the event also talked with CBC staff about their priorities for the campaign. Listen to some of that here. Local resident Muriel McPherson said she really appreciated the event. "I would never miss an opportunity to come to a live CBC production and really appreciate CBC reaching out to small communities," she said. Others agreed. "I think it's awesome. It's great our community gets to showcase itself yet again, and it's wonderful to put faces to names," said resident Cody Johnson. "We listen to CBC and I'm so glad to see people here." Karchut said they're already looking for more opportunities to get on the road. "I love getting into the communities that we serve," he said. "Meeting the Daybreakers where they're at, hearing about the passion they have for where they live. The ways they're trying to make it better. It's invigorating and a reminder of why we do what we do."
