Reception centre for N.W.T. wildfire evacuees in Alberta moved 400km to St. Albert

The Northwest Territories government is telling wildfire evacuees who are in Grande Prairie, Alta., or who are heading to the city, to now go to St. Albert, Alta., instead. The two communities are about 400 kilometres apart.

In an online post early Tuesday afternoon, the territorial government said the designated reception centre for evacuees has been moved to St. Albert, at Servus Place at 400 Campbell Road. 

On Sunday, most of the communities in the Northwest Territories' South Slave region were ordered to evacuate due to multiple wildfires either directly threatening communities or threatening to close highways connecting communities to the rest of the territory. 

Many residents headed south to take refuge in High Level, Alta., or Grande Prairie. Some evacuees were also flown to Fort McMurray.

The territorial government says evacuees in Fort McMurray don't need to relocate to St. Albert.

People still en route to Grande Prairie were being told on Tuesday to reroute to St. Albert. Anybody already in Grande Prairie with a vehicle were being told to drive to the new reception centre.

Evacuees in Grande Prairie without their own transportation can go to the reception centre at the Alliance Church there to get on a bus.

The Grande Prairie reception centre will close at 5 p.m. on Tuesday. The government has not said why.

A notice posted earlier Tuesday at the Grande Prairie centre encouraged people to go to St. Albert if they had transportation.

"We expect to be running out of the accommodation in Grande Prairie before the end of the day. St Albert has opened a reception centre and has hotel accommodations available," the notice reads.

Kyle Camsell, an evacuee from Fort Smith, N.W.T., was at the Grande Prairie evacuation centre on Monday. He said he was fortunate to have another place to stay in the community.

"It's just been a crazy time for everyone," he said.