Looting will be punished, warns First Nation chief after wildfire evacuation in Alberta hamlet
The chief of the Mikisew Cree First Nation says people caught looting evacuated homes and businesses in the northern Alberta community of Fort Chipewyan will be banished.
In a video update posted Wednesday evening, Chief Billy-Joe Tuccaro said he had received reports of potential looting in the hamlet, which remains under evacuation due to a out-of control wildfire burning nearby.
Anyone caught stealing from evacuees will be punished, Tuccaro warned.
"If anybody is looting in regards to our property, you will lose all privileges in regards to Mikisew properties. I'm not kidding," Tuccaro said in a video posted to Facebook Wednesday.
"If you are seen looting, the RCMP will be notified and you will be taken into custody and removed from the community. And like I said, you will be banned from my reserves."
Residents of the remote northeastern hamlet, 300 kilometres north of Fort McMurray, were told to leave Tuesday as a wildfire inched closer close to the community.
Alberta Wildfire information unit manager Christie Tucker said Thursday afternoon that the fire, which has already destroyed an estimated 8,600 hectares, was burning about 10 kilometres from Fort Chipewyan.
Tuccaro said band leadership will increase street patrols, adding that he would personally drive through the evacuation zone each night to watch for signs of criminal activity.
"This is not a time to be screwing around," Tuccaro said. "If you stayed back as an evacuee, we expect you to conduct yourself in an orderly fashion and not create any potential hazards.
"We need all resources right now to be concentrating on the fire."
Alberta RCMP say they have received no reports of property crime in the evacuation zone but continue to patrol the streets 24 hours a day.
In a video update Thursday evening, Allan Adam, chief of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, said five people believed to be a threat to community security had been removed from the hamlet.
Adam said they were suspected of attempting to loot homes on Wednesday evening.
"There are at the airport and they are going to be transported out on the next plane," Adam said. "We don't have to worry about people like that trying to ruin our community. We're here to protect our community and to do what's right."
RCMP Cpl. Troy Savinkoff said five young people who had defied evacuation orders were transported out by air on Thursday.
But no charges were laid and there was no evidence that any offences had been committed, Savinkoff said Friday.
"Ultimately, the RCMP did facilitate them getting on a plane and leaving the community," he said.
Savinkoff said there are eight dedicated officers in the community, double the number that would normally be in Fort Chip — and police remain confident in their ability to protect evacuated neighbourhoods.
Looting has been a concern in communities across Alberta this wildfire season and RCMP have been tasked with patrolling evacuation zones to prevent trespassing and theft.
Savinkoff said widespread property crime has not been an issue during the wildfire emergency but securing evacuation zones is a priority for RCMP.
"Property crimes have actually been down within those communities," he said. "That's not to say there haven't been some thefts. There have been and we have been very successful in catching and laying charges against some of those individuals."
Additional policing resources will remain in Fort Chipewyan until it is safe enough for residents to return, Savinkoff said.
Challenging evacuation
The hamlet is home to about 1,000 people, and as of Thursday, more than 700 people have registered as evacuees.
With no summer road to the community, evacuees were airlifted out on planes or they travelled south to Fort McKay by boat, a roughly five-hour trip on the Athabasca River.
Only those involved in the firefighting efforts — and a small number of residents who have defied the evacuation order — remain behind.
People are distraught because they are not at home. - ACFN Chief Allan Adam
Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN) members among those ordered out of Fort Chip. On Wednesday, Adam urged remaining residents not directly involved in the firefighting efforts to leave.
After a chaotic evacuation, he said first responders must turn their attention to the fire.
He said the town is now eerily quiet, and the forest around it alarmingly dry.
It's a tense time as people forced from their homes — and the residents who have remained behind to fight the flames — brace for the worst.
"I'm scared. And if I'm scared, I take it that the feeling is mutual. People are distraught because they are not at home," Adam said.
He said he will remain in Fort Chip to fight the fire and protect his community.
"It's our home. It's all we got."
On Thursday, officials said there are 61 wildfires are burning inside the province's forest protection areas, and 15 of those are out of control.
The province is expected to receive help this weekend from 215 firefighters from South Africa.
WATCH | Dramatic evacuations in Fort Chipewyan as wildfires rage:
