Rain falling Tuesday on the area where the Eagle Complex fires are burning. Photo from the Whitecourt Forest Area Wildfire Information office.

By Jeff Henson

WILDFIRES

Fox Creek and Little Smoky residents allowed to return home

May 24, 2023 | 5:07 PM

Some good news for residents of Fox Creek and Little Smoky after those communities were forced to evacuate due to the Eagle Complex wildfires.

Alberta Emergency Management Agency Executive Director Bre Hutchinson says residents are now allowed to return home as of Wednesday.

“Residents of these communities should ensure that they are closely following their local authority’s re-entry instructions to make sure that the process goes smoothly.”

She adds there is also helpful information online at alberta.ca/emergency on how to re-enter a community safely.

Alberta Wildfire Information Officer Christie Tucker says the Eagle Complex wildfires are still listed as out of control and are still burning approximately one kilometre from Fox Creek.

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But she adds there has been a big difference in the fire’s activity in recent days, along with work that is ongoing to contain that fire and keep it from getting any closer to the community.

“The main difference there is the amount of ground that we have been able to cover in helping to work on reinforcing fire guards. We have had assistance there from the military, with a significant number of boots on the ground to help the work of going through and looking for hot spots and help the work of actually bringing this fire along and extinguishing parts of the fire that are inside the perimeter that could still flare up and show activity.”

According to Tucker, the weather and the work of crews on the ground have both played a big role in recent days.

“The weather conditions gave firefighters a big helping hand because rain is not enough to actually significantly change a wildfire that is burning out of control to suddenly become extinguished. There is a lot of work that is done by people on the ground, directing the wildfire and working on extinguishing areas that may still flare up.”