No re-entry timeline for evacuees as Alberta breaks wildfire season record

There is still no timeline for re-entry into the Alberta town of Edson and parts of Yellowhead County as a wildfire continues to burn near populated areas, officials said Monday. 

Temperatures in Edson, 200 kilometres west of Edmonton, are forecast to reach 27 C Monday and fire behaviour is expected to increase. 

"This morning's pretty smoky … That just shows you the changing conditions," Edson Mayor Kevin Zahara said during an update on the wildfire situation at noon Monday. "It's still very dangerous." 

The fire has continued to grow wider but is holding around 1.5 kilometres from the town's southern boundary, officials said.

About 10,000 residents of Edson and the surrounding area have been ordered to leave their homes. It's the second time this year that Edson has been placed under evacuation order because of fire danger.

Hectares burned estimate surpasses 1981 record

Across Alberta, there are about 14,000 evacuees still out of their homes. Within forest protection areas, there are 76 wildfires with 24 burning out of control.

Six evacuation orders remain in effect, including for residents in Fort Chipewyan in northern Alberta where an out-of-control fire burns just seven kilometres from the community.

Alberta Wildfire information officer Melissa Story said in a news conference Monday afternoon that around 1,385,000 hectares of forest has burned, breaking the previous record of 1,357,000 in 1981. But Story cautioned that the number for this season is still an estimate.

"These numbers can change when we do reassessments of area burned when we can go back and assess a fire that is under control," she added.

Mike Ellis, minister of public safety and emergency services, noted that the province is only two and a half months into the wildfire season, which wraps up at the end of October. 

Ellis reiterated that the province is supporting firefighting efforts and evacuees, noting that Edson residents were now eligible for evacuation payments. 

Since the season's start, more than $24.5 million in e-transfers have been sent to evacuees and more than $9.5 million in debit cards, he said.

Alberta Wildfire predicts a low-pressure system moving into the province would bring widespread rain through until Wednesday. Attending temperature drops and humidity increases will aid firefighters, Story said.

"While the dangers from wildfires in the province persist, there is some positive news on the weather front," Ellis said.

One hundred firefighters from Costa Rica and Chile are expected to arrive Tuesday, joining an effort drawing from Australia, South Africa and across Canada.

Canada's worst wildfire season in over 20 years

Across Canada, wildfires this year have already caused more damage and upheaval than any other wildfire season in more than 20 years.

A total of 4.7 million hectares of forest have burned, and nearly 32,000 Canadians are under evacuation orders, federal Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said during a Monday update in Ottawa.

"This now qualifies, unfortunately, as Canada's worst wildfire season of the 21st century," Blair said.

He said there are 431 wildfires burning in Canada, including 208 that are out of control.

Earlier Monday, the federal government approved a second extension of the Canadian Armed Forces deployment in Alberta. 

Almost 1,100 international firefighters are deployed around the country, and more are being sent to help, including almost 350 firefighters arriving in the coming days from Chile, Costa Rica, Spain and Portugal. 

In the Edson area, almost 500 people are working to contain the wildfire threatening the Alberta town, municipal officials said.

Despite the threat, Edson chief administrative officer Christine Beveridge said some residents have chosen not to evacuate the community but have since contacted city staff asking for help. 

"Unfortunately, our crews are dealing with fires and cannot help you. I'm just going to leave it at that," Beveridge said. 

Fire crews were carrying out prescribed burns Monday to prevent the blaze from spreading, officials said. The burns are expected to continue on Tuesday.

Beveridge said residents evacuated from Edson and Yellowhead County now qualify for Alberta's wildfire evacuation payments. 

Funds are available to those who had to leave their properties for seven days or more because of evacuation orders.

Eligible families will receive $1,250 for each adult and $500 for each dependent. Evacuees can apply for the payments on the province's website.

Thunderstorms and rainfall are forecasted for the region for Tuesday.

Check the CBC News Climate Dashboard for live updates on wildfire smoke and active fires across the country. Set your location for information on air quality and to find out how today's temperatures compare to historical trends.