(Edmonton) Hot, dry and windy conditions worsened the already extreme wildfire situation in Alberta this weekend, but progress could be made by firefighting crews.
At a press briefing on Sunday afternoon, Alberta Wildfire Information Officer Josée St-Onge said the weekend’s intense heat sparked new fires in northern province and gave oxygen to the fires that were already underway.
In the south of the province, the conditions are not as extreme at the moment, but Mme St-Onge warned that resources may need to move in order to be ready to respond quickly to new fires.
The number of evacuees in Alberta rose to more than 19,300 on Sunday, up from the 16,500 evacuees in the previous day’s toll. New mandatory evacuation notices have been issued in Rainbow Lake, Sturgeon Lake First Nation and Leduc County.
There were 87 active wildfires in Alberta as of Sunday afternoon, with 24 considered out of control.
Mme St-Onge said fire crews are already stationed in the forest regions of the Rockies and Calgary in the south of the province, but that they could be reinforced by resources from the north, or even from outside. of the province, if new fires break out.