Edson, portions of Yellowhead County likely to remain evacuated past Wednesday: officials

Edson and many Yellowhead County residents will not be able to return home on Wednesday, officials have confirmed.

When an evacuation order was issued on Friday as a result of a wildfire, residents were told to be prepared to be gone until at least Wednesday.

In an update on Sunday, officials said they're not sure when it will be safe to return.

The fire is currently burning 1.5 kilometres from the town of Edson.

Officials say it's 204,000 hectares in size, with a second fire burning 150 metres away that's 87,000 hectares in size.

"We need to stress that with all of the resources that our municipalities, the province of Alberta, many firefighters from across this country and across the world are putting onto this fire, we still cannot say that it is safe.

"That must tell us all the severity of what we're dealing with," Luc Mercier, chief administrative officer of Yellowhead County, said in a social media update Sunday evening.

"Until we can ensure our community is safe, we cannot allow people back. I do not believe that Wednesday will be the date at this point in time."

Officials for the town of Edson and Yellowhead County believe about 14,000 people have been impacted by the evacuation order.

This is the second time Edson residents have been displaced in the past six weeks.

Edson evacuee Greg Acorn isn't surprised residents won't be allowed back on Wednesday.

"I think with it that close and having already jumped the guard once and travelled so quickly, I think this time they should make sure it’s as out as it possibly can be before we return," he told CTV News Edmonton outside the Edmonton Expo Centre on Monday morning.

Macecille Macesaquit spent the night at the Edmonton Expo Centre with her family.

"My family is worried about the situation in Edson. " she said.

"It's not easy because I leave my house. I worry about my work."

'STAY OUT OF OUR COMMUNITY'

While most residents have left Yellowhead County, not all have.

Disobeying the evacuation order is a safety concern, officials said during a Monday noon update.

"We’re getting a lot of people messaging saying 'I'm here in the community, and I need help.' Or, 'I need to be able to get supplies.' Unfortunately our crews are not able to help you because they’re working on the fires," said Edson's chief administrative officer, Christine Beveridge.

"We're asking you to please obey the order and stay out of our community. We've had a lot of people come back to the community over the last couple of days."

RESIDENTS ELIGIBLE FOR EVACUATION PAYMENTS

Because this is the second time Edson has been evacuated, officials say all residents are now eligible for wildfire evacuation relief from the province.

"It is confirmed: Both town of Edson and Yellowhead County residents will qualify for those evacuation payments immediately," said Edson mayor Kevin Zahara.

"A lot of people have already applied and have money in their accounts. It usually only takes a couple of hours from what I'm hearing."

RE-ENTRY PLAN UNDERWAY

While it's still not clear when residents will be allowed to return, Beveridge says Edson is working on a re-entry plan to get people home as quickly as possible when it's safe.

"We have a lot of factors such as hospitals, fuel, grocery stores, all of that, and to be fair it’s our critical infrastructure, as well. It's our water, it's also… power and gas, making sure that everything's good," she said.

Beveridge says power is still on in Edson, but natural gas is off in some areas.

Yellowhead County is also working on a re-entry plan, but Mercier noted the work is less complex than for Edson because there are different resources to account for.

While most evacuees will remain displaced for an indeterminate amount of time, some Yellowhead County residents may be home as early as Monday, according to officials.

"Yellowhead County is looking at removing a portion of the evacuation zone north of Township Road 560 and west of the McLeod River. Looking to do that [Monday] afternoon at some point depending on weather," Mercier said.

Yellowhead County and the Town of Edson are expected to provide another social media update at 8 p.m. on Monday.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Nicole Lampa