Alberta and BC wildfires force residents to evacuate

Wildfires forced the evacuation of two central Alberta communities last night, and another 50 or so homes were evacuated due to another wildfire burning south of Ashcroft, near Kamloops, BC.

Nordegg, a community of around 200, about 150 km west of Red Deer, had been under a one-hour evacuation notice for roughly three days due a wildfire burning in the area, when the fire came within two kilometres of the hamlet Sunday night. This forced officials to issue a mandatory evacuation, advising residents to relocate to Rocky Mountain House, about 90 kilometres to the east.

[ Related: Advisory issued as crews battle wildfires across province ]

[ Related: Wildfire forces evacuations south of Ashcroft ]

Further to the north, a 250-hectare blaze burning near Lodgepole jumped the Pembina River and came within three kilometres of that community, forcing a mandatory evacuation there as well. According to CBC News, residents were advised to head to the nearby town of Drayton Valley for safety, and wildfire information officer Whitney Exton had said 50 firefighters were on the scene as of Sunday night, with helicopters and tankers supporting them, and more resources were apparently on the way.

As of today, the fires in both areas appear to be contained, as winds have died down, helping firefighters in their efforts to keep the communities safe. However, authorities are still on alert in case either fire manages to break out of containment.

In British Columbia, a fire burning southwest of Kamloops, about 20 km south of Ashcroft, now covers over 1,100 hectares of land and has forced the evacuation of around 50 homes in the area to nearby Cache Creek. A force of 110 firefighters is battling the blaze, supported by three air tankers bringing in fire retardant, with more help expected to arrive throughout the day today.

According to CBC News, there have been 177 wildfires in British Columbia in the past month, nearly all of them due to human activity.

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The hot, dry weather and strong winds have been blamed for the spread of the flames, though. According to Alberta's Fire Weather Index, nearly all of central Alberta, as well as regions along the eastern foothills of the Rocky Mountains are currently under an advisory for Extreme Fire Danger. Regions of central British Columbia are under moderate to high risk of fire, and there are a few areas around Kamloops that currently have a danger rank of extreme.

(Photo courtesy: Clearwater Regional Fire Rescue/The Canadian Press)

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