Yellowhead County evacuation alert, state of local emergency over fire finished
An out-of-control wildfire west of Edmonton held its size over Wednesday night at 180 hectares, but mostly only smoldered the next day.
Officials said in an update Thursday morning there was very little fire activity or smoke, and no open flame visible at the scene nine kilometres west of Evansburg. By evening, that had changed slightly: Alberta Wildfire noted "some open flame in the inside of the perimeter of the fire but very little fire activity or smoke is observed near the perimeter.
"The fire is mostly smoldering on the ground."
The wildfire had crossed the Lobstick River but not Highway 16.
Thirty-four firefighters spent the day searching for and extinguishing hotspots. They made "good progress" making wet lines on Wednesday to contain the fire and continued with the effort Thursday, with help from helicopters bucketing, Alberta Wildfire said.
More than 50 firefighters were expected to be working on Friday. As well, four helicopters will be helping on Thursday and six pieces of heavy equipment are on standby.
The provincial crews are assisting six units from Yellowhead County.
END OF EVACUATION ALERT, STATE OF LOCAL EMERGENCY
The rural municipality ended a state of local emergency at 6 p.m. and an evacuation alert that had been an order just one day earlier.
"It has been determined that the wildfire is no longer a threat to the community," a statement from the county read.
"Yellowhead County Fire Department (YCFD) firefighters will cease hands-on structural protection and will demobilize. Alberta Wildfire firefighters will continue firefighting operations and monitor the fire."
However, sprinkler systems will remain on houses over the weekend and the county will test them each morning.
Highway 16A from Highway 22 west to Lobstick remained closed for a portion of Thursday, and Alberta 511 warned drivers in the Entwistle and surrounding area of poor visibility due to smoke.
More information is available from Yellowhead County, Alberta Wildfire, Alberta Emergency Alert, and 511 Alberta.
The Yellowhead County evacuation call centre was closed, too. Residents needing more information were asked to call the administration office in Edson at 780-723-4800.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.
Djokovic needs medical attention after getting knocked on the head by a water bottle at Italian Open
Novak Djokovic needed medical attention after apparently getting knocked on the head by a water bottle after a win at the Italian Open on Friday.