Alberta ablaze as wildfires spread all over the province, state of emergency declared

Devil's Head forest fire in 2020 (Photo submitted by Melissa Story)

With hot temperatures, high winds combined with little rainfall, wildfires have spread rapidly across Alberta, moving the province to declare a state of emergency this weekend.

As of the morning of May 8, 108 wildfires are active around the province, with 31 classified by Alberta Wildfire as “out of control.” As many as 29,000 Albertans have been forced out of their homes, including the communities of Drayton Valley, Edson, and Fox Lake. To combat these fires, firefighters have travelled from Ontario and Quebec to help.

Christie Tucker, Information Unit Manager with Alberta Wildfire, spoke at a news conference May 5 in Edmonton, saying that the challenges officials are facing are mainly due to “strong winds, hot temperatures, and the dry fuels.”

“Certainly, terrain is also a major challenge when you’re fighting a wildfire. If there’s accessibility issues getting to a fire, that will affect how firefighters are able to attack it,” Tucker said.

Stephen Lacroix, Managing Director of the Alberta Emergency Management Agency, also spoke at the conference.

“We’re working with federal, provincial, and municipal partners to deliver emergency supports throughout this evolving and extremely fluid situation. In collaboration with local authorities, we’re also leveraging resources from non-governmental organizations as required,” Lacroix said.

When speaking about what kind of actions the province is taking to combat these fires, Tucker mentioned that there’s a fire ban and “an off-highway vehicle restriction across the Forest Protection Area,” now in place.

“That means that people cannot have open wood fires on public or private land, or in their backyards,” Tucker added.

Provincial and National Parks throughout the province have installed bans of their own, as well as individual municipalities. Tucker also recommends checking your local municipalities social media to find out what measures are being taken to combat the wildfires.

The Alberta wildfire situation is evolving continually; for up-to-date information, visit Alberta’s wildfire status website.

Listen to the full audio below: