Wildfire situation improving, Alberta no longer in state of emergency
Alberta is no longer under a provincial state of emergency.
The Emergency Management Act was invoked on May 6 to help mobilize firefighting and evacuee resources as 110 wildfires burned in the province.
So far in the 2023 Alberta wildfire season, there have been 563 wildfires.
"We've surpassed a million hectares burned, a milestone we've never hit by this point," Christie Tucker of Alberta Wildfire said Saturday. "The most area burned for an entire wildfire season was 1.3 million hectares in 1981.
"It's been more than 40 years since we've had a season like this one."
With the help of cooler weather and rain, crews had made significant progress by Saturday and 504 of the season's fires were out.
"In other words, we have extinguished 90 per cent of all fires started this year," Tucker added.
Officials said the state of emergency, which expired at midnight Sunday, will not be renewed at this time, as its anticipated conditions will continue to improve.
On Sunday, 59 wildfires were burning and 17 were out of control.
Tucker said the 14,474-hectare Rocky River fire burning out of control north of Fort Chipewyan is the top priority.
Residents of the area remained under a mandatory evacuation order on Sunday, including Mikisew Cree First Nation, Fort Chipewyan Métis Nation and Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation.
Officials said support and resources for communities affected by wildfire will remain in place and will not be affected by the expiry of the provincial state of emergency.
"There will be no change to the level of support, resourcing and coordination that we are providing," Cyndee Evans, Alberta Emergency Management Agency executive director, said Saturday.
The wildfire information line at 310-4455 is open 24-hours a day and eligible evacuees can continue to apply for the one-time emergency financial relief payment.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire' are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Premier Legault reiterates that McGill pro-Palestinian camp must be dismantled
Quebec Premier François Legault reiterated that the pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill University must be dismantled while police remain 'on the lookout for new developments.'
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.