'Situation has escalated': Edson residents ordered to evacuate because of wildfire
For the second time in about a month, residents of Edson were told to leave town Friday night because of a wildfire.
An Alberta Emergency Alert was issued at 6:22 p.m. after the "fire jumped fire guards."
"Due to increased fire activity, fires are becoming increasingly unpredictable. These fires are moving closer to more populated areas including the Town of Edson," the alert said.
"There could be impacts to roads and highways as the fire crosses blocking off points of egress for evacuation. The reception centre is the Edmonton Expo Centre."
There were at least four out-of-control fires burning east and south of Edson Friday, and according to Alberta Wildfire, about 240,000 hectares has burned.
The alert included some residents of Yellowhead County. Anyone without transportation was asked to call 1-833-334-4630.
"Western boundary of evacuation zone is Range Rd 200. Northern boundary is Township 570 to Range Rd 160 then north to Township 580 east to Highway 751 and south to Township 520," the county Facebook page stated.
A post from the town clarified that people do not have to go to Edmonton if they have somewhere else to stay, but were asked to register by phone at 1-833-334-4630.
"The situation has escalated and we’re asking everyone to start preparing to leave," a Facebook post from town said at 5:45 p.m.
"The fire south of Edson, in the Shining Bank area is showing extreme fire behaviour and we’ve had numerous new starts today as well."
"It is really important that people follow the order as those that stay behind could impact fire operations. In an evacuation there is no emergency medical assistance (hospital/ambulance) and other emergency crews are busy dealing with the situation at hand. You could pull crews away from something important or be at risk of having no help."
Edson residents were told to evacuate west to Hinton on May 5 because of fire, but were allowed to return a few days later.
About 8,000 people live in Edson, which is roughly 200 kilometres west of Edmonton.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Still so much love between us,' Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Pro-plastic lobbyist presence at UN talks is 'troubling,' say advocates
Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
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.
Trump's lawyers grill ex-tabloid publisher as 1st week of hush money trial testimony nears a close
After prosecutors' lead witness painted a tawdry portrait of “catch-and-kill” tabloid schemes, defence lawyers in Donald Trump's criminal trial on Friday sought to dig into an account of the former publisher of the National Enquirer and his efforts to protect Trump from negative stories during the 2016 election.