Large fire at Pigeon Lake forces evacuation of at least two homes
A fire chief on scene said the blaze started as a garbage fire
At least two homes have been evacuated as firefighters respond to a fire directly in Ma-Me-O Beach
The summer village is located on Pigeon lake around 100 kms south of Edmonton.
Greg Minde, the fire chief at the Ermineskin Cree First Nation Fire Department, said the blaze started as a garbage fire. Minde said flames are still near houses in the community but crews have things under control.
"There were two houses that were in jeopardy from where the fire originated but they have since been protected and those homeowners were evacuated," said Minde.
Minde estimates the fire is about three to four kilometres long and that crews have been on the scene for at least eight hours. He explains the location of the fire makes it difficult to combat.
"It's just unfortunately in tough areas where there is a lot of muskeg, so it's really hard to get into with trucks. Even by foot it's really hard."
"There may be spots that we have to go back to tomorrow just because the muskeg can burn for days."
Several roads, including Highway 780, have been closed. Ma-Me-O is the second community in Alberta to have residents evacuated on Sunday.
Earlier in the day Duffield, a community 65 kms west of Edmonton, had 51 homes evacuated because of a large brush fire.