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
Asking rent prices up 9.3% across Canada, Ontario sees only decline: report
A new report says the average asking rent for a home in Canada in April was up 9.3 per cent compared with a year ago, while a slight month-over-month increase was also recorded for the first time since January.
Prince William says wife Kate is 'doing well'
Prince William said on Friday his wife Kate was 'doing well' in a rare public comment about the Princess of Wales as she undergoes preventative chemotherapy for cancer.
'I may have some nightmares:' Man survives being bitten by 2 sharks in Bahamas
A man who was bitten by two sharks in the Bahamas said Thursday he's 'thankful that I'm here' while sharing his story of survival.
Ontario coroner to investigate death of man who suffered cardiac arrest while waiting in ER
A provincial coroner will be investigating the death of 68-year-old David Lippert, who suffered a cardiac arrest while waiting in a crowded emergency room in Kitchener, Ont.
Magnitude 4.2 earthquake reported off Vancouver Island's west coast
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded west of Vancouver Island early Friday morning.
'Irate male' assaulted Newfoundland officers with block of cheese, police say
Police in Newfoundland say patrol officers were assaulted Thursday by a "very irate male" wielding a block of cheese.
Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
Canadian Blood Services apologizes to LGBTQ2S+ community for discriminatory blood donation policy
Canada's longstanding blood donation policy that prevented sexually active men who have sex with men and some trans people from donating blood and plasma was harmful and discriminatory, Canadian Blood Services acknowledged on Friday, in issuing an apology to the LGBTQ2S+ community.