A wildfire is seen burning near Barrhead, Alta., on May 28, 2026. (Bays Timm)
Five homes were destroyed in a Alberta wildfire that forced the evacuation of close to 200 properties.
Debbie Oyarzun, the chief administrative officer and director of emergency management for Barrhead County, says the situation unfolded fast on Thursday afternoon.
Residents in the Summerlea subdivision were initially ordered to leave shortly before 5 p.m., and the order was expanded about an hour later to include the Thunder Lake subdivision.
Summerlea residents were allowed to return Thursday night, but residents of the Thunder Lake subdivision weren’t permitted to return until late Friday morning.
Oyarzun says 13 properties received varying degrees of damage — including five homes and a garage that were completely destroyed.
“When I got on scene, there were structures (further back on the crescent) that were already on fire, including two houses, and the fire was spreading through the underbrush and the poplar fuzz, and it did not take very long before we had five structures on fire,” he said. “It’s all bush between (Crescent Drive) and the Summerlea subdivision.”
Alberta Wildfire sent ground crews and air support, including a water bomber, a helicopter and a bucket combo to extinguish the fire
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