Wildfire burns 20 kilometres south of Chateh in northern Alberta

Residents of the Dene Tha' First Nation community of Chateh in northern Alberta have been evacuated for the second time this year due to wildfires.

The fire has burned about 252,000 hectares — 2,520 square kilometres — of land and is burning about 20 kilometres south of Chateh, said Chief Wilfred Hooka-Nooza.

During the recent wildfire, an emergency shelter for evacuees is being provided at the sports complex in High Level.

Chateh, population 700, is 91 kilometres northwest of High Level and about 700 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.

"The crews are doing the best they can," Hooka-Nooka said. "They have bulldozers in there and approximately 125 men fighting the fire. They're making a fireguard with bulldozers around the community. In Chateh, they have sprinklers up in a community on the east side."

Chateh, along with nearby Zama River and Rainbow Lake, are also dealing with a power outage due to scorched poles. Hooka-Nooka said Atco is still trying to replace the poles but doesn't know when power will be restored.

Residents of Chateh also had to evacuate on May 13th due to a wildfire and remained out until the community was deemed safe for re-entry in early June.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Nahreman Issa and The Canadian Press