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The shift in weather conditions brought much-needed relief to firefighters in Western Canada, where about 964,000 hectares have burned since the wildfires started more than a week ago, destroying dozens of structures and forcing nearly 30,000 Albertans to evacuate.
Cooler temperatures and light, scattered rain allowed firefighters to reach fires over the weekend that had not been accessible “due to extreme fire behavior,” Christie Tucker, information officer with Alberta Wildfire, the fire agency, said at a news conference. on Sunday.
Officials expect the weather to continue to improve over the next few days, with cooler temperatures in the forecast as well as higher humidity in southern and central Alberta. But in the north, firefighters “will continue to be challenged” by dry conditions, Ms Tucker said.
“People have called this winter certainly unprecedented in recent memory because we have had so many fires that spread out,” Ms. Tucker said. “It’s been an unusual year.”
Alberta declared a state of emergency on Saturday as more than 110 wildfires burned across the province. That number had decreased, but only slightly, by Monday afternoon, when there were 98 active wildfires in the province. Parts of Yellowhead, Big Lakes and Lac Ste. Anne Counties was still under evacuation orders as of Monday.
Mrs. Tucker said that firefighters came to Alberta on Friday from Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia to help fight wildfires. Firefighters in Alberta are prioritizing threatened communities and deadly threats, he said, including fires in Edson, Grizzly Complex, Deep Creek Complex and Fox Lake.
About 5,000 people have passed through evacuation centres, Colin Blair, executive director of the Alberta Emergency Management Agency, said at a news conference on Sunday. While some began to return home, others had to wait.
Darryel Sowan, spokesman for the Little Red River Cree Nation, said on Monday that more than 3,700 people had been evacuated over the weekend from the community of Fox Lake – the most remote area of the Little Red River region but also where the majority of the population lives. No one was hurt but the community lost at least 44 buildings, Mr. Sowan said.
For many members of the state, it was the first time they had left Fox Lake in their lives, Mr. Sowan said.
“They want to go home,” he said, but “because of the situation that is still in the field, they are not allowed to go there until they are there.”
Mr. Sowan was in John D’Or Prairie, west of the three state communities, where some members had been evacuated to a gymnasium and were sleeping on mats on the floor.
“They did their best,” he said, noting the smoke in the air. “It’s heartbreaking for the whole community.”
Evacuation orders were also issued for parts of British Columbia over the weekend in the Peace River Regional District. The order went down to the mark on Sunday night.
“The wildfire situation remains volatile, and it is critical to stay out of the evacuation area so as not to put lives at risk or disrupt the fire response,” Leonard Hiebert, chairman of the Peace River Regional District, said in a statement Friday night.
Kevin Zahara, the mayor of Edson, a town in Yellowhead County, said a “steady stream” of evacuees began returning home Monday morning under clear skies and smoke. About 8,400 people have evacuated the city, among 14,000 residents who have left the county due to the threat of fire.
“The weather looks great, the weather is cooperating,” he said. “It’s really positive and we hope to get back to normal and deal with this emergency.”
Mr. Zahara said there was no damage in the city itself, but there was structural damage, including the loss of the natural gas plant, in the eastern part of the district and outside the city limits. The wildfires also forced some of Alberta’s largest oil producers to temporarily shut down some wells.
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