Troops fan out in Alberta as province prepares for challenging wildfire battles
Troops are fanning out across Alberta as firefighters prepare for another skirmish with wildfires burning in the province.
About 300 members of the Canadian Armed Forces have been dispatched to aid in the battle, as the return of hot dry weather and high winds is expected to make the fight more difficult in the days ahead.
As of Saturday morning, 83 wildfires were burning across Alberta's forested protected areas, including 22 burning out of control. That does not include the six wildfires burning outside those zones.
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Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry and 1 Combat Engineer Regiment are now working alongside roughly 2,000 firefighters battling fires across the province. Army reserve soldiers from across Alberta also deployed this week.
On Saturday, military officials from 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry provided an update from their newly-established camp of operations in Grande Prairie, about 450 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.
Speaking from a field dotted with green tents and transport vehicles, Lt.-Col. Ben Schmidt, commander of the Land Task Force, said troops are now on the move.
"We have deployed about 300 soldiers so far as part of the ground land task force, in direct support to firefighter efforts, specifically looking at going out into the field and supporting the professionals," he said.
Schmidt, who is responsible for all the soldiers deployed in the province, said the military will also be providing support from the skies through air force deployments. If needed, officers will also aid evacuation efforts, he said.
Bases of operation are being established across northern Alberta and about 100 soldiers will be deployed to each location.
About 100 soldiers are now in the Grande Prairie area, Schmidt said.
An additional 200 soldiers are currently stationed at Drayton Valley. Half of them will be moving to Fox Creek, about 200 kilometres north, in a few days, he said.
Soldiers will remain in the province for at least another week but the deployment could be extended if the situation calls for it, Schmidt said.
(Brett/Submitted to The Weather Network)
Officials with Alberta's wildfire command centre have determined where the soldiers were needed most, he said.
Soldiers are currently working southwest of Grande Prairie where a wildfire, covering 1,581 hectares, continues to burn out of control.
Maj. Matt Prowse, Commander A Company, 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, said three platoons are working with firefighters to protect the southern edge of the city from possible flare-ups when the temperature rises in the coming days.
"Our key tasks right now are conducting mop-up and and debris clearance, and hotspot dousing around structures in the Grand Prairie area, preventing potential damage and loss of homes in particular," he said.
"We've been working here for the last several days, the teams are working quite well … and overall the sense of purpose is high."
About 16,000 Albertans remain out of their homes and officials are bracing for the possibility that more evacuation orders will be issued this weekend.
After a few days of relative calm, the return of hot, dry weather this weekend threatens to make conditions more volatile.
Much of northern Alberta is now under an extreme heat warning. Temperatures across the province are expected to reach daytime highs near 30 C over the coming days.
The province's Friday update stressed that Albertans need to remain vigilant as hot temperatures move in.
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Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis asked all Albertans to follow the fire bans and off-highway vehicle restrictions to prevent new wildfires from starting and warned those living in areas under evacuation alert that they need to be prepared, with enough supplies for seven days, to leave on short notice.
"These fires can move very quickly and being prepared for rapid changes can make a huge difference," Ellis said.
Emergency officials will deliver an update on the government's wildfire response at 3 p.m. MT Saturday. Watch the news conference live here.
Conroy Sewepagaham, chief of the Little Red River Cree Nation, said the weather in the days ahead will be a challenge for firefighters battling a fire that ravaged Fox Lake.
The community of 3,600 people located 150 kilometres east of High Level remains an evacuation zone.
Residents began clearing out last Wednesday as the Paskwa wildfire grew rapidly, eventually overwhelming the town and consuming homes and businesses. The band has confirmed at least 108 structures were destroyed.
The fire, now covering 16,400 hectares, continues to burn out of control. Favourable winds, however, have provided some relief.
The fire is "slowly creeping" up toward Wood Buffalo National Park, Sewepagaham said in a video update Friday evening.
"The continued good news is that the fire is moving away from the community," he said "The not-so good news is the weather and the coming forecast.
"The wind gusts are not helping with the firefighting efforts but the incident commander and boots on the ground are telling us that they're doing their darndest to try and hold the line."
The fear now is that the flames could jump the Peace River and threaten the remote northern community of Garden River, home to about 700 people, Sewepagaham said.
He said the community's nightwatchmen will continue to monitor the fire each night and sound the alarm if the flames take a dangerous turn.
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Thumbnail courtesy of Alberta Wildfire via CBC.
The story, written by Wallis Snowdon, was originally published for CBC News.