4 Drayton Valley homes destroyed by wildfire; county fire chief dispels return rumours

Four homes on the edge of Drayton Valley have been destroyed by an out-of-control wildfire that grew more than a thousand hectares on Sunday. 

The fire chief for Brazeau County and Drayton Valley confirmed the news that evening. 

At that time, officials were still in the process of notifying homeowners and investigating other at-risk properties for further losses. 

Despite some showers earlier in the day and cooler temperatures, Tom Thompson said the blaze grew 40 per cent in 24 hours to a total of 4,970 hectares. 

"This fire remains out of control and so it is imperative that people stay out of this area. I can't stress that enough," he said. 

"The risk to the public is still extremely high and it is not safe to enter the community at this time." 

He repeated the message several times, noting there were rumours swirling that Drayton Valley was safe to return to. 

"This is false and you will be turned away at the checkpoints that have been set up around the perimeter," Thompson said. 

"We are currently working on a re-entry plan and when that plan is established, we will get that out to everyone."

• Brazeau County evacuation order expanded; Drayton Valley hospital emptied, too, because of fire risk
• Government officials visit evacuees at Expo Centre

A little more than 70 per cent of some 7,200 evacuees have registered either through the town and county's Facebook pages or by calling 780-542-7777. 

About three dozen residents slept at Edmonton's Expo Centre Saturday night, while the rest found hotels or family to stay with. City of Edmonton officials have called the city "well-equipped" to continue helping fire evacuees. 

Thompson said he could not offer residents – who were told to leave late Thursday night – any kind of timeline for returning home so long as the fire was out of control. 

"Any type of wind can affect us. Earlier, we were just coming down the highway and you could see the plumes of smoke were starting to pick up again because of the wind." 

Alberta Wildfire has sent firefighters, helicopters and airtankers to help the county's fire department.