Officials in a central Alberta county are crediting the weather for helping fire crews gain the upper hand on a wildfire burning in a rural area of that county.
Brazeau County officials said Friday afternoon that an evacuation order had been lifted for a rural area of the county, although the local state of emergency is still in place.
The change comes after crews categorized the wildfire situation, in the area of Range Road 55, just south of Township Road 500, as being held.
In addition to the evacuation order being lifted, a one-hour evacuation notice has been lifted for the Birchwood area, and residents living west of Highway 759.
The blaze in question was first seen by Brazeau County officials at about 3 p.m. Wednesday; the evacuation order was enacted a short time later.
Now that the fire situation has changed, officials said a reception centre set up in Drayton Valley will close at 3 p.m. Friday, but will remain on standby throughout the weekend.
