Several homes destroyed by fire in Drayton Valley, evacuation order extended another week

Four to six homes have been destroyed by fire in Drayton Valley, officials have confirmed, and they're preparing for a tough battle over the weekend as hot, dry weather sets in.

In an update to residents on Friday, town officials confirmed the owners of the homes that were lost have been contacted.

Residents learned the fire is still out of control, but it's now 62 per cent contained.

Crews have worked to build a fire line 43 kilometres long, and military support has arrived in the community to help fight the fire.

One hundred and fifty five firefighters are fighting the fire from the perimeter, while four helicopters are fighting from above, 17 pieces of heavy equipment are in use, and 50 members of CFB Edmonton are on the ground assisting.

"Having the extra 50 boots on the ground in the area and the first commandeer is providing amazing help in speeding up the containment of this fire," said operations chief Evan Stewart.

Despite that, officials say they don't know what's in store for the community with this weekend's weather.

"The weather is going to test us over the next coming days," said Tom Thomson, chief of Drayton Valley/Brazeau County Fire Services.

"We are actively taking steps to prepare for this weather change and make sure this incident does not get bigger than it is."

The Buck Creek Wildfire, about two kilometres from the south edge of Drayton Valley, was nearly 5,000 hectares in size on Friday, according to the Alberta Wildfire Dashboard.

A group of wildfires near the Brazeau Dam remained classified by Alberta Wildfire on Thursday as out of control and more than 82,500 hectares in size.

EVACUATION ORDER EXTENDED FOR ANOTHER WEEK

Residents learned Thursday night they won't be able to return to their homes for at least another week.

The county and Town of Drayton Valley posted the message late Thursday evening on social media.

"We want to make it clear to residents who are evacuated that we cannot consider re-entry at this time. The wildfire situation remains too volatile, and while progress is being made on restoring critical infrastructure, services are not yet in place to support our residents coming back to the community," the statement read in part.

"We know this is not the news that community residents and businesses want to hear; however, re-entry must be done right in order to be successful and safe for everyone."

Evacuees learned of the timeline throughout the night and next morning.

"We're sad that we can't go home. We'd be happier if we can go home. But now, hearing that we can't go home for a couple more days is frustrating," Drayton Valley resident Barbara Okeynan told CTV News Edmonton early Friday.

Canadian Red Cross has been helping by providing the family with temporary motel accommodations.

"It's frustrating because we don't know where we're going to be, we don't know where we're going to stay if the Red Cross doesn't help us out," Okeynan added.

Services have to be restored before residents can return, officials said.

"Things like utilities, access to water, and a sustainable power grid that can support the return of many people who are evacuated in both the town and surrounding county," said incident commander Luke Palmer.

"We are focused on re-entry planning. At the core of getting people home. This isn't something we’re sitting and waiting on. Obviously we’re waiting on seeing what happens this weekend."

As residents remain evacuated, town and county officials are working to make sure animals left behind receive appropriate care.

“We are continuing to ensure animals are being cared for and are attempting to reunite owners with their pets. So far, we have cared for 378 animals and have been able to help reunite 155 animals,” said Cody Rossing, a peace officer with the Town of Drayton Valley, in a social media post on Thursday. “It’s been another very successful day for our teams, and I am very proud of what they are doing in our community.”

The county also says if you have registered your animals, you should be on the lookout for calls from a private number, as they may be from peace officers.

Residents are asked to answer your calls to expedite the process of caring for your animals.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Nicole Lampa and Nahreman Issa