Edson residents happy to be home but warned to be ready as fires still burn

The evacuation order for the town of Edson was lifted at 6 p.m. Thursday, and the community was moved to a four-hour evacuation alert.

"It'll be good to hit the showers here. I feel good about that," Donald Hayman said with a big laugh.

He stayed in a campground and a parking lot before he was able to return to his apartment.

Justin Lickman and his family went to a hotel in Edmonton. They didn't immediately leave when the evacuation order came down.

"We stayed a couple days extra but decided to call 'er quits because of the smoke," he said.

"We promised ourselves we weren't going to leave unless we saw fire this time. And it was almost to that point."

Lickman said many residents stayed in the community, despite the June 9 order because of wildfires burning near the town.

"We want to make sure that while we lift the evacuation order everyone understands the severity of the situation," Edson Chief Operating Officer Christine Beveridge said Thursday afternoon. "On Friday the fire jumped the river, burning the overflow area of Willmore Park, spreading 30 kilometres in one run."

She urged residents to be prepared to leave again on a moment's notice.

"We do not intend to evacuate the town unless there is significant risk to our public. As we know, wildfires are very unpredictable, and there’s a very real possibility we’ll have to evacuate again."

Officials asked residents to return in an orderly manner to avoid traffic congestion or collisions.

They also ask families to consider if they are prepared to return on Thursday evening, given the town will not be fully operational.

"Basic EMS is being arranged. AHS is working to set up an emergency department but there is no timeline yet," Beveridge said.

"Other services are working hard to either open tonight or tomorrow morning, and that includes pharmacy, grocery, gas stations, etc. Atco Gas and Yellowhead Gas have crews in town, and they’re starting to return the service."

Buses will leave the Edmonton Expo Centre at 4 p.m. over the next few days for anyone who needs transportation back to Edson.

The evacuation reception will remain open for three more days for anyone who isn't ready to return to Edson on Thursday.

More information and a re-entry package will be available on the town of Edson website.

FIRE STILL BURNING NEAR EDSON

Beveridge said the fire is over 300,000 hectares, or about 4.5 times the city of Edmonton, and currently burning about two kilometres from the town of Edson.

The rain that has fallen in the community over the past few days has bought firefighters about 10 days of reprieve, Beveridge said.

"Five millimetres equals about one day of reprieve. We’ve received approximately 50 millimetres of rain."

Beveridge said the rest of the wildfire season will depend on the amount of precipitation that falls in the area.