Residents in northwestern Alberta have been ordered to evacuate the area immediately due to the threat of wildfire. The order is for residents of the Municipal District of Peace No. 135 in the area of Township Road 580, south to the Peace River, and from Highway 684, east to the Peace River. Those residents need to evacuate immediately and head east to Grimshaw, Alta., and register at the Royal Canadian Legion located at at 5011 49 Ave.
The Alberta Emergency Management Agency issued the order at 5:27 p.m. Tuesday and it was updated at 6:42 p.m. The MD has a population of more than 1,700 residents. MD officials said on social media that the RCMP are on location and coordinating evacuation efforts. Reeve Robert Willing told CBC the fire covers about 250 hectares. Willing said the dry conditions in the area have made it difficult to determine whether crews will be able to contain the fire by the end of the night.
“It’s in an area that’s that’s quite rugged, It’s in the Peace River Valley,” Willing said. “It’s very dry, and there’s very little access into the area. So the loss of potential loss of homes is fairly minimal. But at the same time, the fire moves rapidly over very rough terrain.”
Willing, who lives one kilometre away from the fire, said he may have to prepare to evacuate should the order be expanded. The municipal fire department, Town of Grimshaw, Town of Peace River, County of Northern Lights and Alberta Forestry are collaborating to contain the fire. The provincial department is using water bombers and helicopter bucketing. A spokesperson for the province said inmates of the Peace River Correctional Centre will be evacuated to a safe and secure space and are under no imminent threat from the fire.
Road closures are also in effect according to advisories from 511 Alberta. Highway 684 from Highway 740 to Peace River Correctional Centre is affected with all lanes being closed. Fire crews are on scene along the highway, southwest of Peace River, with people being asked to avoid the area.
