Crews prepare for challenging day as wildfire forces evacuation in northern Alberta

CBC News

· Posted: May 27, 2025 10:17 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

Fire crews are preparing for a challenging time arsenic a wildfire encroaches connected the municipality of Swan Hills successful bluish Alberta. 

An evacuation order was issued Monday nighttime arsenic the flames of the Edith Lake wildfire drew person to the municipality of more than 1,300 people.

A wildfire detected Sunday is present burning retired of power conscionable 7 kilometres from the borderline of town, which is nestled successful the boreal wood astir 220 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.

The blaze, fanned by almighty and unpredictable winds, has burned adjacent to 2,300 hectares since it was archetypal spotted.

A provincial occurrence upwind forecast is predicting gusty and shifting winds and rising temperatures connected Tuesday and the nationalist occurrence information is listed arsenic utmost crossed overmuch of the province.

As of 8 a.m. Tuesday, determination were 11 out-of-control wildfires successful Alberta, the bulk successful the northbound of the province.

In an interrogation Tuesday, Mayor of Whitecourt Tom Pickard said 705 evacuees person registered astatine the reception centre astatine Allan & Jean Millar Centre. 

Some are staying successful municipality astatine section hotels. Many are headed to country campgrounds, helium said.
 
He said municipality unit worked intimately with exigency officials done the night. He said the evacuation and the convoy went smoothly and they were told evacuees made their mode safely south. 

"The convoy and evacuation was precise orderly," helium said.

Whitecourt has hosted wildfire evacuees earlier successful 2023, erstwhile their bluish neighbours, including residents of Swan Hills, were ordered out.

He said residents person again stepped up providing nutrient and structure to those successful need.

Town residents had been placed nether a one-hour evacuation announcement earlier Monday and were warned that changing winds could unit them to flee.

As the occurrence grew successful the afternoon, heavy fume from the adjacent flames forced the closure of Highway 33 to the north.

Oil-and-gas shaper Aspenleaf Energy, which has wells successful the area, evacuated its section tract unit and temporarily halted operations, shutting successful astir 4,000 barrels-of-oil-equivalent per time of production.

CEO Bryan Gould said successful an interrogation the occurrence was astir 10 kilometres from Aspenleaf's facilities Monday evening, adding the company's determination to unopen successful accumulation was made retired of an abundance of caution.

Canadian Natural Resources, Canada's largest oil-and-gas producer, besides has operations successful the Swan Hills area. The institution has not responded to a petition for comment.

A thunderstorm moved successful Monday day bringing with it almighty gusts of upwind and lightning strikes that sparked caller fires crossed the province.

When evacuation orders came soon aft 6 p.m., residents were told to spell southbound to Whitecourt.

People forced from Swan Hills person been told to beryllium prepared to beryllium retired of their homes for astatine slightest 3 days.

Night vision-equipped helicopters, firefighters and dense instrumentality worked done the night.

A high-volume h2o transportation strategy of sprinklers and hoses is being deployed to assistance douse properties astatine hazard should the occurrence gully closer. An incidental bid squad and further occurrence crews are expected to get Tuesday. 

Elsewhere successful Alberta, radical surviving southeast of Hinton person been told to hole for a imaginable evacuation due to the fact that of a wildfire burning westbound of the erstwhile ember mining municipality of Mercoal.

The fire, astir 400 hectares successful size, is classified arsenic retired of control.