Rural evacuation order expanded to include road closures

A mandatory wildfire evacuation order for rural residences in an area between Whitecourt and Grande Prairie was expanded to include road closures Monday.

Municipal District of Greenview spokeswoman Diane Carter said the area, which is south of the hamlet of Little Smoky, remained under evacuation, and that roads in the area were closed and being patrolled by RCMP. She added that Highway 43 was not closed, but that all non-essential travel should be avoided.

Carter said about 40 people had registered as evacuees as of early Monday afternoon. She added that though the area is not heavily populated, officials believe some residents in the evacuation zone had not yet left their homes.

“This is for serious safety considerations and it’s very important that people evacuate under the evacuation order,” Carter said.

Carter did not have an exact population for the evacuated zone, but said it is primarily an agricultural area. The most recent census population of the nearby hamlet of Little Smoky was 45 people.

Carter said that it’s possible some residents who are hesitant to leave may be concerned about the safety of livestock. She said that animal evacuation was being co-ordinated through the Valleyview Agricultural Society and that local community members and businesses are rallying to help.

“We have had very generous offers of support from other people in the surrounding agricultural community,” she said.

Alberta wildfire information officer Barry Shellian said Monday morning the fire had grown to 900 hectares in size, and that about 20 per cent of the blaze was surrounded by a guard of bulldozers and other heavy equipment.

Little Smoky is about 50 kilometres north of Fox Creek and about 150 kilometres southeast of Grande Prairie.