Residents west of Edmonton allowed back home as wildfire burns out of control
The wildfire detected in Yellowhead County Tuesday afternoon still burned out of control a day later, according to Alberta Wildfire.
The wildfire, nine kilometres west of Evansburg north of Highway 16 and west of Highway 22, grew from 125 hectares to an estimated 180 hectares overnight.
"People are tense," Yellowhead County Mayor Jim Eglinski said on Tuesday. "With the dry weather we're having right now, people are nervous."
Credit: Alberta WildfireMore than 30 firefighters, six air tankers and four helicopters worked to extinguish the wildfire on Wednesday, with warm and windy weather expected throughout the day.
Fifty residents had to leave their homes behind when an evacuation order was put in place.
"By the time I got too close to where I could see smoke half a mile from the house, they turned us back and said, 'You got to evacuate now,'" George Hyshka told CTV News Edmonton at the Evansburg Arena, where an evacuation centre was set up.
Credit: Yellowhead County
Residents with evacuation questions were encouraged to call 1-833-334-4630.
No injuries or destroyed structures had been reported.
"Our priority is protecting human lives and property," Josee St-Onge with Alberta Wildfire said.
"We're confident that we have the right resources to get this fire under control in a timely manner, but everyone in the area should remain on high alert."
At 7 p.m. Wednesday, residents in the evacuated area were allowed to return home. Officials said residents were still on evacuation alert and should be ready to leave at a moment's notice if conditions change.
Highway 16 is open to traffic in both directions but there is an advisory for reduced visibility between Highway 22 and Highway 753 due to smoke from the wildfire.
Highway 16A is closed to traffic with the exception of evacuated residents.
For up-to-date traffic information in the area of the wildfire, visit 511 Alberta.
The Edson Forest Area is under a fire advisory, where all existing burn permits other than burn barrels are currently cancelled. Safe wood campfires and backyard fire pits are allowed.
Evansburg is around 100 km west of Edmonton.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Steven Dyer, Nahreman Issa and Jeremy Thompson
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.