Wildfire danger remains high in northern Alberta, hundreds displaced from Fort Chipewyan
As of Thursday afternoon, there were 61 wildfires in Alberta, including 15 out of control.
A wildfire near Fort Chipewyan, Alta., has been the province's priority since it started on Sunday.
Alberta Wildfire said additional resources are being directed to the 8,600 hectare fire, which is burning out of control around 10 kilometres from the community.
Close to 1,000 area residents had to flee the area by plane or boat.
"Things have been quite chaotic," Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Chief Allan Adam told CTV News Edmonton on Wednesday.
"We managed to get 800 people out of the community in the last two days."
The last plane left Fort Chipewyan at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Evacuees went to Fort McMurray and Fort McKay.
"The fire in the Fort Chipewyan area remains a high priority, but as you know, fires continue to burn across the northern part of the province," said Alberta Emergency Management Agency Executive Director Bre Hutchinson on Thursday.
Hutchinson said the fire danger remains extreme in the north, despite most of Alberta seeing rain over the past few days.
Around 4,400 Albertans are away from their homes due to wildfires.
More than 300 firefighters from the United States and South Africa are on their way to Canada to battle wildfires, the federal government announced on Thursday.
"This is truly an international effort," said Christie Tucker of Alberta Wildfire. "Now, many other provinces across Canada are starting to experience the extreme wildfire conditions we've been fighting in Alberta for the past month.
"We're grateful to all of those who have already come to assist us and to those who are still here in the province."
The 215 firefighters from South Africa will likely be stationed in Alberta.
With files from The Canadian Press and CTV News Edmonton's Diego Romero
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.