UPDATE: More county residents allowed to go home, multiple wildfires still out of control in Peace region

However, residents living between Township Road 705 and the Wapiti River, as well as East of Spring Creek to Range Road 65, including The Banks in Spring Creek remain under an order, as multiple hotspots are still active along the west side of the sub-division.

Residents west of Range Road 73, Park Meadows, Deer Run Estates, Township Road 710 between Spring Creek and Range Road 65, Township Road 710 along Range Road 65 south to Park Meadows, and residents residing in 32-70-6W6M and 33-70-6W6M sections, are no longer under an evacuation alert.

Fire crews have a few things for residents to remember when re-entering their communities:

Trees are being removed by crews to reduce fuel throughout the area and helicopters are bucketing hot spot areas as they are identified.
Drones will be used over the next few days and residents can expect to see them flying low.
RCMP say no break-ins, reports of damage, or other criminal activity was reported by residents that have been allowed to go back to their homes.
Watch for firefighters who do continue to work, especially in the Mystic Ridge area, as crews remove structural protection sprinklers
Watch for ash pits, commonly found at the base of trees and in areas with deep organic soil, avoid stepping on or around it, and if your are concerned about the heat it’s giving off contact the Dunes West Wildfire Call Centre at 1-825-606-5092

To access re-entry information packages, helpful tips for re-connecting utilities, dealing with spoiled food, or to get the latest updates, click here.

If your property was damaged by these wildfires, you can fill out a property damage report form by clicking here, which will be reviewed by the County.

The deadline to submit a property damage form is June 16.

If you would like to confirm if your home is still in the evacuation order area or have questions about returning home, contact the Dunes West Wildfire Call Centre at 1-825-606-5092.

Sturgeon Lake Complex

The two out-of-control wildfires near Sturgeon Lake and Valleyview have grown and are around equal in size now, estimated at 3,900 hectares for one, 3400 for the other.

The hard work put in by firefighters on Monday paired with less extreme wind speeds kept the wildfire from reaching Valleyview and Highway 43. On Tuesday, cooler temperatures and cloud cover minimized fire behaviour.

Both fires stayed within their perimeters thanks to hard work by crews on the ground and in the air. Fire crews continue to reinforce dozer guards, create new guards around new growth and protected structures.

Tuesday there were 123 firefighting personnel and 79 management and support staff on the Sturgeon Lake Wildfire Complex.

Eight helicopters and 25 pieces of heavy machinery have been allotted to the two fires. Two CH-47 Chinook Helicopters arrived in Valleyview Tuesday evening and were deployed to the wildfire complex. One bucket ship and one helitanker are working on the complex as well.

Valleyview and surrounding areas including Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation are still under evacuation orders.

Bald Mountain Fire

This wildfire is located 21 km west of Highway 40 km and 50 km south of Grande Prairie.

According to Alberta Wildfire, the Bald Mountain Wildfire is classified as out of control and estimated at 15,000 hectares.

There has been low to moderate activity on Wednesday. On Tuesday, firefighters observed moderate fire activity on the southern end of the fire however there was no significant growth given the extreme winds Monday night.

Fire crews will continue to monitor and drop water on this wildfire from the air and heavy equipment and build a fire guard today.

Two heavy equipment groups working on this wildfire.

The evacuation order and alert in the MD of Greenview remain unchanged as of Wednesday morning.

Cleardale/Saddle Hills

A wildfire that started on the banks of the Peace River grew to an estimated 19,000 hectares on Monday. It is now estimated to be 48,000 hectares in size.

It is located on both sides of the Peace River and is approximately five km east of Cleardale and 13 kilometres southwest of Worsley.

Wildland firefighters with air support and heavy equipment are working to contain the wildfire.

Highway 64 is closed from Range Road 74 to Range Road 91 due to this wildfire.

Clear Hills County and Saddle Hills County have issued evacuation alerts for area residents, to be prepared to leave with one-hour notice if conditions worsen.

Fox Creek/Little Smoky

The wildfire located 27 kilometres southwest of Little Smoky continues to show very aggressive fire behavior and is now estimated at 46,915 hectares.

This wildfire is an active crown fire burning in continuous spruce and pine fuel type, growing by over 19,000 hectares on Monday.

A dozer unit is on standby and will start working once it is safe to do so.

Alberta Wildfire says an ignition specialist and assessor are assigned to this fire.

High Prairie/Swan Hills

Located approximately seven kilometres south of High Prairie and approximately 16 kilometres northwest of Swan Hills, an out of control wildfire has now burned an estimated 90,000 hectares, growing by 26,000 hectares on Tuesday.

Due to winds from the northwest, the wildfire has grown to the southeast.

In the late afternoon on Tuesday, smoke suppressed the fire’s intensity.

Fire crews are assessing ignition opportunities to create fire guards and are working in areas around and within the East Prairie Metis Settlement and on the north side of the wildfire in the rural areas near the community of High Prairie.

As of Tuesday, there were 50 firefighters and two heavy equipment groups working on this wildfire.

Swan Hills has evacuated due to this and two other wildfires in close proximity to the community.

Harmon Valley

The wildfire that started May 5 and wreaked havoc in the Harmon Valley area has grown to approximately 90,000 hectares.

The fire grew significantly by about 26,000 hectares due to strong gusting winds Monday evening.

The Peavine Metis Settlement is under a mandatory evacuation order due to the fire’s activity on the southwest flank.

The north perimeter is approximately 38 kilometres south of Cadotte Lake and 39 kilometres south of Little Buffalo.

by Erika Rolling