Wildfire evacuation order issued for Nordegg area

An evacuation order was issued for Clearwater County Wednesday evening due to a 200-hectare wildfire about 19 kilometres west of Nordegg.

Clearwater Country issued an evacuation order for the Snow Creek Provincial Recreation Area, the Dry Haven Provincial Recreation Area, the Centre for Outdoor Education, Fish lake Provincial Recreation Area, Frontier Lodge and Goldeye Lake Provincial Recreation Area and the surrounding area shortly before 9 p.m.

April Macintosh and her family were planning to camp in Dry Haven Campground Wednesday and Thursday, but could see smoke and flames when they arrived late Wednesday afternoon. 

"Everybody else was pulled over, so we pulled over and took a look and all of a sudden, like, a little fire just started growing and growing and you could see the bomber planes go over," she recalled. 

"So it was within a matter of minutes we were like, 'It's going to be really bad, we need to take off."

As the family left Nordegg, they could see the air change colour in the rear view mirror. 

Residents and visitors of those areas were told to leave immediately. They could relocate to the North Saskwatchewan River Park in Rocky Mountain House if needed, according to an alert on the provincial system.

"They were all worried about the animals and people. I guess people were leaving their campers behind. And that would have been us if we didn't go," Macintosh commented. 

NORDEGG UNDER 2-HOUR ALERT

A two-hour evacuation alert was also issued for Nordegg. Residents and visitors were told be prepared to leave within two hours of being notified.

A wildfire information officer, Travis Fairweather, said the fire was considered out of control Wednesday night. 

"Today, it did see quite significant growth. It's now over 200 hectares in size and has escaped containment, so unfortunately it is expected to continue growing," he told CTV News Edmonton in a Zoom interview. 

"Certainly, the heat, the lack of relative humidity, as well as the winds today were large factors in the growth of this wildfire."

Firefighters from across Alberta and possibly from B.C. are expected to arrive Thursday morning to help. 

The fire started on July 19, northwest of Nordegg. Initially it was thought to be under control, Fairweather said, but hot dry windy conditions spread the fire.

"Which is just a reminder that any time we see these hot and dry conditions, wildfires can start quickly, start easily, spread quickly, and that's why we just gotta be extra careful to eliminate any human-caused wildfires which are completely preventable," he added. 

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. 

Fairweather said the forecast could mean more fires this summer. 

For current wildfire updates, go to wildfire.alberta.ca.

Go to 511.alberta.ca for up-to-date road report information.

To learn how you can prepare for a wildfire, visit alberta.ca/Wildfires and alberta.ca/BePrepared.