Nearly 1,100 Albertans forced from homes as extreme heat fuels wildfires

Dozens more people have had to flee their homes due to wildfires in Alberta, as an out-of-control fire continues to burn near Chipewyan Lake, bringing the total number of evacuees province-wide to about 1,097, the province said in an update Friday. 

There are 89 evacuees in Chipewyan Lake after an evacuation order for that community was issued late Thursday night, the province said.

Extreme fire behaviour is expected to persist through the weekend as a prolonged heat wave, with daytime highs between 28 C and 36 C  — about 10 C higher than average — continues to engulf Alberta. 

As of Friday, there were 144 active wildfires in the Forest Protection Area of Alberta, including 55 classified as out of control. 

"There's no change in the forecast for the foreseeable future, so the next few days will undoubtedly be challenging for first responders and Albertans living in communities close to these fires," said Stephen Lacroix, senior assistant deputy minister and managing director of the Alberta Emergency Management Agency. 

Alberta has seen 887 new wildfires since the beginning of the year, including 377 in July.

Fire ban in place

While half of the July wildfires were caused by lightning, the other half were caused by people, Tucker said, warning people to respect the fire ban across Alberta's Forest Protection Area. 

"Dry conditions, heat and wind can lead to extreme fire danger, and when a lightning storm with little rain passes through, conditions are ripe for multiple new wildfires to start," Christie Tucker, information unit manager at Alberta Wildfire said Friday.

"We are expecting these conditions to continue over the weekend and firefighters are anticipating some challenges today."

Emergency evacuation payments

The communities of Little Red River Cree Nation and Garden River also remain under evacuation orders. 

Wildfires burning in northern Alberta have also prompted evacuations of workers from oilsands sites.

Residents who have been evacuated for more than seven days are eligible to receive a one-time emergency evacuation payment, Stephen Lacroix, senior assistant deputy minister and managing director of the Alberta Emergency Management Agency, said Friday. 

Albertans who qualify will receive $1,250 for each adult and $500 for each dependent child.