The Alberta government has updated that more that 29,000 individuals have been evacuated from communities across north and central Alberta due to the threat of wildfire that has led to a provincial state of emergency being declared.
There are 109 active wildfires in the Forest Protection Area, with 28 of these classified as out of control, the Alberta government updated on Sunday (May 7, 2023) night. The province has been facing unusually warm and dry weather, with strong winds, which can make it easier for wildfires to start and spread, the Alberta government said.
As of Sunday, the entire province remained under a fire ban, with no open burning permitted. Off-highway vehicle restriction has also been put in place, meaning recreational use of off-highway vehicles on public land has been prohibited.
With communities under threat, mandatory evacuation orders were in place for the following areas as of Sunday night:
The blazes come seven years on from the devastating Fort McMurray wildfires, with the Insurance Bureau of Canada’s initial 2016 estimate pegging likely insured losses at $3.6 billion. Direct and indirect costs of the Fort McMurray natural disaster likely sat around $9 billion, according to an economist at MacEwan University.
Almost half of Canadian adults are worried about the damage wildfires can cause, according to a recent First Onsite Property Restoration survey of 1,500 Canadians. The survey found that 75% of people were concerned about family and personal safety during wildfires and other disasters, and 56% were concerned about having to leave their communities or their homes.
