OTTAWA (Reuters) – Wildfires ravaging northern Alberta have forced the evacuation of three communities, a provincial body said on Saturday, as the oil-rich province continues to battle five different “newsworthy wildfires.” in different areas.
A noteworthy wildfire is often considered a significant threat to public safety, communities and critical infrastructure.
Evacuation orders were issued in the north Albert communities of John D’Or, Fox Lake and Garden River, covering about 62,000 hectares and 5,000 residents.
No threats to oil sands production were mentioned.
Alberta is under control of 158 wildfires, of which 55 are out of control, meaning the fire is expected to continue to grow and a perimeter has not yet been established. Not all out-of-control wildfires require people to evacuate.
“Fire activity is expected to remain intense throughout the weekend as hot, dry weather continues,” the Alberta government’s wildfire service said in a statement.
There are more than 200 firefighters and support personnel, 10 helicopters and 43 pieces of heavy equipment working in this complex, he said, adding that the fire was caused by lightning.
Meanwhile, in neighboring British Columbia, where up to 319 active wildfires are burning, evacuation orders were issued Saturday due to an out-of-control wildfire between two lakes, the BC Wildfire Service said on social media platform X.
BC has had 58 new wildfire incidents in the past 24 hours, with three ‘wildfires of note’ in the southern region – Shetland Creek, Aylwin Creek and Komonko Creek.
All three are on evacuation alert, the provincial government said.
“Fire activity is increasing today in southern BC due to thunderstorms in the interior and central parts of the province,” he said, and added that about a thousand firefighters from the BC Wildfire Service are on scene.
More than half of forest fires are out of control.
(Reporting by Promit Mukherjee; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
