Latest news with #LacLaBiche
CBC
04-06-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Mandatory evacuation order issued for area in Lac La Biche County due to wildfire
Evacuation orders have been issued for an area in Lac La Biche County due to out-of-control wildfire. The alert is in effect for southern Winefred Lake and Grist Lake, around 400 kilometres northeast of Edmonton. The evacuation is mandatory, and all residents in the area are being directed to leave the area immediately.
CBC
08-05-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Boyle, Alta., residents band together as wildfire evacuation forces them from homes
Social Sharing Former volunteer firefighter Steve Wilcox said he wishes he could be fighting the wildfire that has forced residents from the village of Boyle to evacuate this week. Wilcox said it's difficult and "nerve-wracking" for him to help his community from the sidelines instead of being able to directly assist in the firefighting effort. "I wanna be on the other end fighting. But I understand that at my age — just about 60 years old — I'm not capable of doing that anymore. So I just do what I have to do and make sure my community is safe," Wilcox said at the evacuee reception centre in Lac La Biche. Wilcox manages the Aspen Grove Mobile Home Park in Boyle and said even though he can't directly protect his community from the fire, he went door to door in in the park to make sure everyone was ready to evacuate at a moment's notice. "I had everybody prepared. We were out in 15 minutes, and everyone in the park was checking in one everybody and making sure that we were all out. For a small community, I think we all did pretty good." The evacuation order was issued for Boyle just before 11 p.m. Tuesday. Residents in Athabasca County who live near the fire also had to leave their homes. With the fire growing less than two kilometres from the community, Wilcox and all other residents of Boyle, a community about 150 kilometres north of Edmonton, were told to travel north to a reception centre in Lac La Biche immediately. Manny Deol, the chief administrative officer for Lac La Biche County, confirmed on Wednesday morning that 192 guests with 105 pets registered at the evacuation centre. According to provincial data, the wildfire near Boyle has expanded from 300 hectares on Tuesday to more than 1,000 hectares as of Wednesday afternoon. However, an update from Athabasca County on Wednesday night said that no further spread is expected overnight and "the entire fire line is now contained." Fire crews will re-assess on Thursday morning but the evacuation order remains in effect. At a news conference Wednesday afternoon, Boyle Mayor Colin Derko said that the weather conditions made it difficult to tell exactly how far the fire was from the community. "When the winds come up, [the fire] looks like it's in the town. When the winds die down as it is right now, it seems like it's a little further away. So it's within that one-mile boundary," Derko said. He said the dry, windy weather conditions and the terrain have been challenging factors for firefighters trying to hold back the wildfire. The fire started in a heavily forested area on marshland, which Derko said made it very difficult for crews to access with heavy machinery. He said many of the volunteers fighting the fire have been working almost non-stop since Tuesday to contain the fire. "A lot of our volunteers worked through the night on foot. A lot of them haven't slept. They're working so hard and working closely together, too." In a news release, the province said Alberta Wildfire crews are assisting local firefighters with helicopters, air tankers, and dozers. Derko said it's important for residents to comply with the evacuation order and stay away from the community until they are officially permitted to return. "We don't want to be chasing people coming in for unforeseen reasons. Phone the village office or phone the RCMP. They both have been very accommodating. We'll help you get what you need. You don't need to sneak in. We just want you to be safe." Wilcox said community members from Boyle are supporting each other in Lac La Biche. "Every time I see somebody that's in the town … they're cheerful," Wilcox said.
CBC
07-05-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Wildfire threat prompts evacuation order for Boyle, Athabasca County
A mandatory evacuation order is in effect for parts of Athabasca County and the village of Boyle, due to a wildfire in the area. An alert sent around 10:50 p.m. states that the fire is about 1.6 kilometres south of the village and moving north. The evacuation order is in effect for residents in Boyle as well as everyone east of Range Roads195 to 193 and south of Township Road 650. The alert states that wildfire is burning south of Boyle along Highway 831 between the Boyle Fishpond and Ellscott turnoff. Boyle is about 150 kilometres north of Edmonton. The estimated fire area as of 9:12 p.m. Tuesday was about 320 hectares. Those evacuating from Athabasca County should travel north along Highway 63/55 toward Lac La Biche to the reception centre at Parkland Motels II. Those from Boyle should head to the Bold Centre in Lac La Biche, according to a Facebook post from the Village of Boyle. Boyle School will be closed on Wednesday due to the wildfire situation, a division notice said. An emergency alert issued at 6:25 p.m. also advises to not travel south on Highway 831. Athabasca County has declared a state of local emergency, according to a Facebook post. The state of local emergency means that the local authority may take any action it deems necessary to deal with the situation. A fire burning near Redwater put another evacuation order in place for residents in Thorhild County Tuesday. This order is in effect for residents on Range Road 203-211 and Township Road 580-584. Alberta Wildfire has started providing firefighting assistance, according to the provincial dashboard. Meanwhile wildfires in other communities north and west of Edmonton are also prompting wildfire alerts, in Westlock County and Parkland County. Those living north of Duffield between Township Road 530 north to Highway 16, and between Range Road 32 west to Range Road 34 should be prepared to evacuate on short notice. The same goes for residents in the Hamlet of Fawcett and the Summer Village of Larkspur.
