Alberta declares emergency as thousands flee fires
Alberta on Saturday declared a provincial state of emergency after tens of thousands of Albertans have been forced to evacuate their homes as "unprecedented" wildfires rage on in Alberta, Premier Danielle Smith, head of the ruling United Conservative Party (UCP) said at a press conference. By Saturday at 5pm local time, more than 24,000 Albertans had been evacuated from their homes, with 110 active wildfires across the province, and 36 out of control. "It has been an extremely challenging day for firefighters here," said Christie Tucker, an information unit manager for Alberta Wildfire. "We were battling very strong winds, hot weather and those winds produced extreme wildfire activity." She added that additional firefighters had arrived on Saturday from Quebec and Ontario. "Much of Alberta has been experiencing a hot, dry spring and with so much kindling, all it takes is a few sparks to ignite some truly frightening wildfires," said Smith at a press conference earlier in the day. "These conditions have resulted in the unprecedented situation our province is facing today." Among the communities evacuated was Brazeau County, including all 7,000 people living in Drayton Valley, 140km west of the province's capital Edmonton. The entire community of 3,600 people in Fox Lake was also among the evacuees, where the 1,458-hectare Fox Lake fire consumed 20 homes and the police station. "I don't know that I ever recall seeing multiple communities evacuated all at once in fire season," said Smith. She said C$1.5 billion is put aside as a contingency because they know a significant amount could need to be spent on emergency management, Whitecap Resources, an oil producer operating in northwestern and central Alberta, said it has been busy ensuring staff are safe through the evacuation process and assets are unaffected. "(We are) monitoring closely and praying for rain," Grant Fagerheim, Whitecap CEO, said on Saturday. (Reuters)