Displaced residents of Alberta town cling to hope as wildfire burns nearby

More than 1,300 people were forced to evacuate Monday due to one of the three wildfires in Alberta threatening public safety. Kathy Le has more.

More than 1,300 residents of Swan Hills, Alta., remained displaced from their homes after a mandatory evacuation was issued Monday night as the Lake Edith wildfire burns out of control eight kilometres north of the town.

Jeff Doyle, his girlfriend and their two dogs all packed in their vehicle that evening.

“I looked at the town, I looked at my garage, I looked at all my possessions and I said goodbye,” said Doyle.

“I thought to myself, this might be it.”

Doyle and many from Swan Hills have found refuge in the nearby town of Whitecourt where a reception centre has been set up. Hotel and food vouchers have been offered to the evacuees.

“I’ve never seen this much generosity and this much support from a community.”

Recent provincial data shows there are more than 40 active wildfires burning in Alberta, with three of them threatening public safety, communities or critical infrastructure, including Lake Edith, which has burned more than 3,600 hectares.

Derrick Forsythe, wildfire information officer with Alberta Wildfire, says there hasn’t been too much growth overnight.

“I think the big thing that has happened in the last 24 hours is that the fire has crossed highway 33,” said Forsythe.

“We’re working to contain the fire on the other side of the highway now. But overall, the news hasn’t changed a whole lot.”

Environment and Climate Change Canada has issued widespread heat warnings for much of the province.

“For tomorrow we’re expecting temperatures to increase further, closer to 30 degrees for large portions of Alberta,” said Justin Shelley, meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada.

“We have a cold front that’s moving through on Thursday. That’s going to move from west to east across Alberta and that will start to cool things down a bit. But with that, we will see the risk of showers and thunderstorms.”

All these conditions could make it more difficult for crews battling the wildfires. However, Forsythe says it’s normal for this time of year.

“We reposition air tankers to places where they’re going to be most useful to us in these conditions,” he said.

Jeff Goebel, a counselor for Swan Hills, says there are measures in place to protect the town.

“We’ve got some fire suppression and efforts going on throughout town. Systems are being set up to, to help with structure protection.”

Goebel was living in Swan Hills when it was evacuated in 2023.

“It doesn’t make it any easier. I mean, you don’t ever want to get really good at evacuating because that means you’re getting lots of event,” said Goebel.

He says residents were out of their homes for around nine days during that wildfire.

At this point, there isn’t a clear timeline as to when residents of Swan Hills can return to town. Doyle says despite many people feeling anxious and on edge, he has hope for the best outcome.

“I’m pretty resilient. I’m not counting out all our stuff being lost until it’s actually lost.”