Warm weather and strong winds continue to be a problem for firefighters as they battle more than 100 active wildfires in Alberta.
On Saturday afternoon, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said there were 103 active wildfires in the province, with close to 122,000 hectares of land burned. Typically at this time of year, only 800 hectares of land have been burned, officials said.
Since Friday at 11 a.m., some 45 new wildfires have been sparked and there are currently 14 states of local emergencies.
The Alberta government will decide later on Saturday if it will declare a provincial state of emergency, Smith said.
"I want Albertans to be assured there is a stable, functioning government that is here to support them through this unprecedented crisis," Smith said.
Firefighters from outside the province are being deployed to help with the fires, with a total of 79 firefighters from Ontario and Quebec will arrive in Alberta on Saturday. Another 200 firefighters will arrive in the coming days.
A provincial off-highway vehicle restriction is in place and the use of off-highway vehicles on public land, including on designated OHV trails, is prohibited.
"It's a high danger time, but I do have to say this year is significantly higher as far as hectares burned than we've seen in the last five years," wildfire information officer Christie Tucker said during the media briefing.
Yesterday was particularly bad in terms of conditions, she said.
"We were expecting extreme wildfire behaviour yesterday with the conditions that we were seeing and that's what we got," she said.
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A wildfire in the Edson forest area is currently burning out of control 34 km south east of the town of Edson. If you have any smoke-related health concerns, please contact 8-1-1. You can find the most up-to-date information at https://t.co/NwsLJqe7ks. pic.twitter.com/wQz4HND4pp
— Alberta Wildfire (@AlbertaWildfire) May 6, 2023
Just evacuated Evansburg for a second time. The fire was too close and the wind is too strong. Hope this isn't the last time I see my house. pic.twitter.com/lORL3VIQL0
— Travis Dosser (@travisdosser) May 5, 2023
Aurora over the Strathcona County wildfire. 11pm May 5th. #abfires pic.twitter.com/LlaWphsQxc
— Shane Turgeon (@ShaneTurgeon) May 6, 2023
