Latest news with #Loewen
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Firefighters trapped in remote northern Alberta as wildfires rage across the province
Firefighters battling a blaze in a remote northern Alberta town became trapped Thursday as raging wildfires closed in on communities across the province, forcing thousands to flee. Fires raging in central and northern Alberta grew increasingly volatile Thursday, forcing a new wave of evacuees to flee to safety as baking heat, severe thunderstorms and battering winds fanned the flames. According to Alberta's Minister of Forestry and Parks Todd Loewen, eight wildland firefighters were forced to "shelter in place" and wait to be rescued as flames moved toward Chipewyan Lake, about 450 kilometres north of Edmonton. In a statement posted to social media around midnight, Loewen said the firefighters were responding to a wildfire when they temporarily lost radio contact just after 8 p.m. They had to take cover in the community overnight, Loewen said. WATCH | The fire weather pattern everyone is watching: One team was sheltering at the fire station while the other is safe at the local school, which was designated as the community's emergency shelter, Loewen said. "We are working on a plan to extract all eight personnel using NVIS (night vision), though earlier attempts were limited by heavy smoke," Loewen wrote. "There are preliminary indications that there is some damage to structures in the community. At this time, the full extent remains unknown." As of Friday morning, it remained unclear if the firefighters had been rescued. Loewen said updates on the stranded firefighters would be provided as they become available. CBC News is waiting on additional details from officials with Alberta Wildfire, the province's wildland firefighting agency. Chipewyan Lake, which is only accessible by a single industry access road, was evacuated Thursday. The community, home to around 75 people, was evacuated in May 2019 and in May 2023. Two out-of-control wildfires are moving in on the community. One is approaching from the southwest, and as of Thursday afternoon, had burned more than 20,000 hectares. The other is coming in from the north at more than 3,000 hectares. A band of fires is burning across the remote region of northern Alberta, forcing more than 300 people living in Red Earth Creek as well as 1,300 residents of Loon Lake, Peerless Lake and Trout Lake. More than 50 wildfires are burning across the province Friday morning, with nearly 30 burning out of control. A hot, dry spell has strained efforts to contain them. Firefighters have battled increasingly extreme and unpredictable fire behaviour in recent days. Within a matter of hours on Thursday evening, a string of new communities were forced out. Yellowhead County issued an evacuation order to people living around the hamlet of Peers, about 165 kilometres west of Edmonton. As of Thursday afternoon, a wildfire was burning out of control about one kilometre south of the community. Some residents of Westlock County have also been told to flee because of a fire in Hubert Lake Wildland Provincial Park, which spanned 900 hectares. Dene Tha' First Nation issued an evacuation order for residents of Chateh, a community about 660 kilometres northwest of Edmonton. As of Thursday, an out-of-control fire about 20 kilometres southwest of the community had grown to about 1,730 hectares. Familiar with fire After years of destructive Alberta wildfire seasons, it is not the first time many of the evacuees have been forced from their homes. The 1,300 residents of Swan Hills, northwest of Edmonton, were ordered earlier this week to evacuate due to a wildfire that has consumed more than 7,800 hectares and drawn within eight kilometres of the community. It was evacuated due to wildfires in 2023. Dene' Tha First Nation, in the northwest corner of Alberta, issued an evacuation order Thursday evening for the community of Chateh. The community experienced a devastating flood in 2022 and was under threat from wildfires in 2023 and 2024. Chief Wilfred Hooka-Nooza said a fire burning about 10 kilometres away from Chateh forced more than 900 residents to evacuate on back roads. The fire had blocked Highway 58, the main highway to High Level, which forced evacuees to take a 230-kilometre round trip on gravel roads to a safety checkpoint in Bushe River. Even before the evacuation order came, people were concerned about the approaching fire, Hooka-Nooza said. "The wind was blowing toward the community," he said Thursday. "Some people were calling, concerned, remembering the events that they had to go through last year. "So they must be in panic mode. But the main thing is, our group is helping them get out of the community, where they will be safe."
Toronto Sun
30-05-2025
- Climate
- Toronto Sun
Province working to extract firefighters trapped in northern Alberta as wildfires surge
'We are working on a plan to extract all eight personnel using NVIS (night vision), though earlier attempts were limited by heavy smoke' Andrea Franko from Alberta Wildfire uses a drip torch to create controlled burns against wildfires near Saprae Creek south of Fort McMurray on April 24, 2025. A crew of eight firefighters are currently trapped in Chipewyan Lake and the province says they're working on a plan to extract them as severe wildfires rage across Alberta. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account In a social media posted late Thursday night, Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen said at approximately 8:20 p.m. wildland-urban interface crews temporarily lost radio contact while responding to a wildfire in the Chipewyan Lake located 450 km north of Edmonton. One team is currently sheltering at the fire station and another is safe at the school, designated the community's emergency shelter. 'We are working on a plan to extract all eight personnel using NVIS (night vision), though earlier attempts were limited by heavy smoke,' Loewen said. Loewen said there are also indications of damage to structures in the community, but the full extent remains unknown said Loewen. A mandatory evacuation order was issued on Wednesday for the community of Chipewyan Lake forcing residents to flee. There is currently a wildfire threatening the Chip and Alpac Road. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'We will continue to share updates as more information becomes available. Please continue to monitor official sources and stay safe,' Loewen said. More to come ctran@ X: @kccindytran Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don't miss the news you need to know — add and to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here. You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun. Crime World Olympics Toronto Raptors Sunshine Girls
Calgary Herald
30-05-2025
- Climate
- Calgary Herald
Province working to extract firefighters trapped in northern Alberta as wildfires surge
A crew of eight firefighters are currently trapped in Chipewyan Lake and the province says they're working on a plan to extract them as severe wildfires rage across Alberta. Article content Article content In a social media posted late Thursday night, Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen said at approximately 8:20 p.m. wildland-urban interface crews temporarily lost radio contact while responding to a wildfire in the Chipewyan Lake located 450 km north of Edmonton. One team is currently sheltering at the fire station and another is safe at the school, designated the community's emergency shelter. Article content Article content 'We are working on a plan to extract all eight personnel using NVIS (night vision), though earlier attempts were limited by heavy smoke,' Loewen said. Article content Article content Loewen said there are also indications of damage to structures in the community, but the full extent remains unknown said Loewen. Article content A mandatory evacuation order was issued on Wednesday for the community of Chipewyan Lake forcing residents to flee. There is currently a wildfire threatening the Chip and Alpac Road. Article content 'We will continue to share updates as more information becomes available. Please continue to monitor official sources and stay safe,' Loewen said. Article content X: @kccindytran Article content Article content Article content
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Province working to extract firefighters trapped in northern Alberta as wildfires surge
A crew of eight firefighters are currently trapped in Chipewyan Lake and the province says they're working on a plan to extract them as severe wildfires rage across Alberta. In a social media posted late Thursday night, Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen said at approximately 8:20 p.m. wildland-urban interface crews temporarily lost radio contact while responding to a wildfire in the Chipewyan Lake located 450 km north of Edmonton. One team is currently sheltering at the fire station and another is safe at the school, designated the community's emergency shelter. 'We are working on a plan to extract all eight personnel using NVIS (night vision), though earlier attempts were limited by heavy smoke,' Loewen said. Loewen said there are also indications of damage to structures in the community, but the full extent remains unknown said Loewen. A mandatory evacuation order was issued on Wednesday for the community of Chipewyan Lake forcing residents to flee. There is currently a wildfire threatening the Chip and Alpac Road. 'We will continue to share updates as more information becomes available. Please continue to monitor official sources and stay safe,' Loewen said. More to come ctran@ X: @kccindytran Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don't miss the news you need to know — add and to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here. You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun.
CBC
18-03-2025
- Health
- CBC
More money needed to recruit doctors to London, task force head tells councillors
London lags behind other municipalities in recruiting family doctors and needs to increase funding for a task force working to combat a physician shortage in the city as thousands of Londoners remain without primary care, the group's head told a council committee on Monday. The Middlesex-London Ontario Health Team (MLOHT) has hired six doctors to clinics over the last year but needs $80,000 this year to continue its primary care recruitment program, aimed at attracting more doctors to the region, said recruitment lead Andrea Loewen. "The money is used for the salary for this [MLOHT] role, plus travel and hosting events for doctors and residents which is really important for building relationships and helping them," Loewen told city hall's community and protective services committee. "This is what the city needs right now. We need this role to continue and we need to continue to get at the provincial level." About 118 doctors are needed to meet the needs of some 140,000 residents in London-Middlesex who don't have a family doctor. Demand is especially high in south and east London, Loewen added. Loewen asked the city for $80,000 over three years, but council ultimately agreed to pay $50,000 for the program's first year. London Health Sciences Centre covered the remaining $30,000 but Loewen said the hospital network is unable to provide that additional amount this year. Other funding partners include: London Economic Development Corporation, St. Joseph's Health Care, and Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. Last October, the Ontario government appointed former Liberal health minister Dr. Jane Philpott to lead a primary care team with a mandate to connect all Ontarians with primary care providers. On Jan. 27, the province announced $1.4 billion in new funding, on top of $400 million in previously-approved money, to provide two million more people with a family doctor over four years. 'Slippery slope into backfilling health care' Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis said the funding request "will absolutely be a no" for him at council because funding for health care initiatives is the provincial government's responsibility. "At the end of the day, this is a slippery slope into backfilling health care," said Lewis, adding that he believes this will eventually bankrupt property taxpayers. But Coun. Sam Trosow said putting $80,000 from a reserve account toward the MLOHT program will be money well-spent. "Londoners need this. We need family doctors and I understand the argument because I think the province has really dropped the ball on this but we need to do this," said Trosow. Other councillors said while they agree the funding should come from the province, they will support it due to the dire need. Hundreds wait in the snow to get a family doctor in rural Ontario 2 months ago Duration 2:03 More than 1,000 people lined up in the snow in Walkerton, Ont., on Wednesday to try to get a family doctor — but only the first 500 would be successful. Regions such as Niagara have offered doctors incentives such as a $100,000 relocation allowance, leading to 28 doctors hired in 2024 — almost five times more than what London recruited, Loewen said. Although Mayor Josh Morgan said he supports funding the program, he pushed back on the idea of financial incentives, arguing that they're out of municipal jurisdictions and pit cities against each other. "I will never get behind throwing municipal property taxpayer dollars into incentive programs that should frankly be illegal by the province of Ontario," said Morgan. "It is totally a race to the bottom with property tax dollars that were never meant to be spent on incentives for family doctors. We all need family doctors. All the communities do. It is a problem for the province to solve."
