Central Alberta residents warned of possible evacuation due to wildfire
People who live in a remote area northwest of Sundre, Alta., have been asked to prepare for a possible evacuation as a nearby wildfire burns out-of-control.
An Alberta emergency alert was issued for part of Clearwater County late Thursday afternoon, and was later expanded to include part of Mountain View County.
As of around 7 p.m., Alberta Wildfire said the fire was burning five kilometres north of the James-Wilson Provincial Recreation Area. They said the fire was near Highway 734, about three kilometres northwest of the Highway 584 junction, as well as west of Range Road 80 and north of the James River.
(Graphic: The Weather Network)
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Portions of Highway 40, which are close to the fire, were closed.
As of around 8 p.m., Sundre RCMP said a 10-kilometre radius of Crown land, located near the fire, which is more than 1,000 hectares in size, was being evacuated. RCMP said blockades had been set up and warned no one is to enter the area while emergency crews respond.
(Graphic: The Weather Network)
Alberta Wildfire said firefighters were being supported by airtankers, helicopters and heavy equipment, which will work overnight into Friday with support from night-vision helicopters.
"Smoke from this wildfire is visible from nearby communities; however, there is currently no risk to nearby communities," Alberta Wildfire said.
RCMP also asked the public to avoid the area over the upcoming long weekend.
As of Thursday night, no mandatory evacuation order had been posted because of the fire.
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This article, written by Iman Janmohamed, was originally published for CBC News.