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CTV News
4 days ago
- Climate
- CTV News
Chateh lifts evacuation order as wildfires let up from wet weather
Chateh residents can breathe a sigh of relief as a wildfire evacuation order is lifted thanks to wet and cooler conditions. Alberta Wildfire said Dene Tha' First Nation lifted its evacuation order on Tuesday, allowing members to return to the community of Chateh. Residents are advised to remain prepared to evacuate again if conditions worsen. The community was put under an evacuation order on May 29. On Monday, Swan Hills lifted its evacuation alert for the community as a nearby wildfire in the Slave Lake forest area is now 'being held.' Lac La Biche lifted its evacuation alert for southern Winefred Lake and Grist Lake. Other communities still under evacuation orders Several communities remain under evacuation orders as wildfires continue to burn in other parts of the province. Saddle Hills County's evacuation order now includes everyone located between Township Road 794 and Highway 680 (Township Road 802), and Range Road 95 and Highway 725, as well as the Crown Land north of Township Road 800 and south of the Blueberry Mountain Grazing Reserve. The surrounding areas are still under evacuation alert. The Kee Tas Kee Now Tribal Council's evacuation orders for Loon Lake 235, Peerless Lake and Trout Lake remain in effect. Evacuation orders for Red Earth Creek and Chipewyan Lake are also still in place. Red Earth Creek complex One of the Red Earth Creek complex fires can be seen on June 3, 2025. (Photo: Alberta Wildfire) Highway 686 between Red Earth Creek and Trout Lake is currently closed due to a nearby wildfire. The County of Grande Prairie lifted its evacuation order, allowing all residents to return home. An evacuation alert remains in place for everyone north of Township Road 710 to 740, east of the provincial border with British Columbia to Range Road 132. Highway 671/Kelly Lake Road at the Alberta-B.C. border to Range Road 130, southwest of Hythe, is now open Those under an evacuation alert are to be prepared to leave within 30 minutes notice and should have three days worth supplies including food and water. Residents of Marten Beach and those in the Hawk Hills area should also be prepared to evacuate. Current wildfire situation There are currently 58 active wildfires burning in the province, 22 of them are classified as out-of-control. Nine are being held and 26 are under control. Alberta Wildfire said nine new fires have started in the last 24 hours. Kiskatinaw River The Kiskatinaw River wildfire along the B.C.-Alberta border can be seen from the sky in early June. (Photo: Alberta Wildfire) More than 1,500 firefighters from Alberta, Yukon, B.C., Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Australia, Washington State, Oregon, Idaho, Hawaii and the United States Forest Service are working on containing and extinguishing wildfires throughout the province. Fire bans A fire ban is still in effect for the High Level forest area, as well as parts of the Fort McMurray and Calgary forest areas. The County of Grande Prairie downgraded its fire ban to a fire restriction. Permitted burning is restricted to approved recreational fire pits, approved burn barrels and propane-fired appliances like barbecues and smokers. Under a fire ban, all outdoor wood fires, barbecue charcoal briquettes, fireworks and exploding targets are prohibited. Information on fire bans can be found here.
CBC
6 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
Dene Tha' First Nation hopes to lift evacuation order this week, Chief says
Dene Tha' First Nation, in northwestern Alberta, has a re-entry plan for wildfire evacuees that it hopes to execute in the coming days, according to Chief Wilfred Hooka-Nooza. The First Nation issued an evacuation order more than two weeks ago, on May 29, due to the Sousa Creek wildfire, which is burning several kilometres south of the community of Chateh, roughly 660 kilometres northwest of Edmonton. The fire is still out of control as of Sunday afternoon, according to the Alberta Wildfire dashboard. But Hooka-Nooza told CBC News that the fire's boundary has been held five to eight kilometres from Chateh. The First Nation developed a re-entry plan, which it had hoped to put into action Sunday, he said. But now the hope is to start returning people to the community Tuesday. The plan is a phased approach that would strategically allow people home over a three-day period, with people who have respiratory health concerns arriving last, Hooka-Nooza said. Wildfires forced thousands of Albertans from their homes earlier this month. But communities have recently lifted evacuation orders and alerts amid recent cool temperatures and rainy weather. "It's been a welcome reprieve from the hot, dry conditions that we have seen previous to this, that did ignite and spread a lot of the fires that are burning across the province," Melissa Story, an Alberta Wildfire provincial information officer, told CBC News Sunday morning. Alberta Wildfire reported 57 total active wildfires throughout the province as of 4 p.m. MT Sunday, about 40 per cent of which out of control, its dashboard shows. Most of Alberta has a low or moderate fire danger, the dashboard shows. But some pockets, including the High Level Forest Area in northwestern Alberta, where the Sousa Creek fire is burning, still have an elevated risk. The area hasn't had rainfall like the other regions, but there is some precipitation in the forecast this week, Story said. "We'll have to wait and see what actually accumulates from it," she said. Hooka-Nooza said the weather in other regions allowed more firefighting resources to be sent to the area. Although the fire danger in most places has dropped, Story noted that there is still a lot of time left before wildfire season ends in October, and said the potential fire risk can change quickly based on the weather conditions.
