Thousands have been allowed to return home, but officials say wildfires are still leaving many displaced
People in parts of Alberta and British Columbia are returning home after wildfire evacuation orders were lifted Thursday.
Recent rain and favorable winds allowed about 2,000 residents of Tumbler Ridge, BC, to return home.
An evacuation order was also lifted for the city of Edson, Alta., and the surrounding area, allowing more than 8,000 people to return.
The end of the order in Alberta comes six days after flames pounced on fire guards outside the city 200 kilometers west of Edmonton, forcing residents to leave.
A statement on Edson’s website says residents must stay ready to leave with four hours’ notice, and an evacuation alert status remains in effect.
Federal Emergency Relief Minister Bill Blair says many people in Alberta, BC and Quebec have been able to return home, but thousands remain displaced due to fires across the country.
Blair says rain and cooler weather have significantly improved the fire situation in the Maritimes and parts of Quebec, but that’s not the case everywhere.
“The hot, dry and windy conditions in parts of western Canada and in Ontario are exacerbating an already dangerous set of conditions, and we know the peak of the wildfire season could be several weeks away,” he said Thursday.
As of Thursday afternoon, the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center reported 446 active fires, 217 of which are out of control. The center reported 127 fires in Quebec, 83 in Alberta, 70 in British Columbia and 56 in Ontario.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on June 16, 2023.
