Tens of thousands of Albertans have been forced to leave their homes as “unprecedented” wildfires burn on, according to Premier Danielle Smith of the ruling United Conservative Party (UCP), who made the announcement at a press conference on Saturday.
More than 24,000 Albertans have already left their homes as of Saturday at 5 p.m. Mountain Time (7 p.m. ET), when there were 110 active wildfires in the province and 36 out-of-control ones.
“It has been an extremely challenging day for firefighters here,” said Christie Tucker, an information unit manager for Alberta Wildfire. “We were battling very strong winds, hot weather and those winds produced extreme wildfire activity.”
“Much of Alberta has been experiencing a hot, dry spring and with so much kindling, all it takes is a few sparks to ignite some truly frightening wildfires,” said Smith at a press conference earlier in the day. “These conditions have resulted in the unprecedented situation our province is facing today.”
All 7,000 residents of Drayton Valley, located in Brazeau County, 140 kilometres (87 miles) west of the provincial capital Edmonton, were among the villages that were evacuated.
The 1,458-hectare (3609-acre) Fox Lake fire, which destroyed 20 residences and the police station, also forced the entire 3,600-person hamlet to evacuate.
“I don’t know that I ever recall seeing multiple communities evacuated all at once in fire season,” said Smith.
She stated that C$1.5 billion ($1.12 billion) is set aside as a precaution since they are aware that emergency management expenses could be substantial.
An oil producer in northwest and central Alberta, Whitecap Resources, said it has been busy making sure workers are safe during the evacuation process and assets are unaffected.
“(We are) monitoring closely and praying for rain,” Grant Fagerheim, Whitecap CEO, said on Saturday.
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