Snowfall dampens Alberta wildfire

ROBB, Alta. — Evacuation notices have been lifted in a few small Alberta communities after an out-of-season wildfire that threatened them was brought under control.

Alberta wildfire information officer Caroline Charbonneau said strong winds with gusts up to 100 kilometres an hour on Friday night blew trees onto roads and blocked access for crews fighting the flames east of Jasper National Park.

Yellowhead County said its peace officers went door-to-door in the communities of Robb and Mercoal to let residents know to be ready in case an evacuation was necessary.

But Charbonneau said the area received close to five centimetres of snow overnight, bringing the fires under control.

Another small blaze farther north near Marlboro also burned overnight Friday but was extinguished Saturday morning.

Wildfire season for Alberta officially ended Oct. 31, but Charbonneau said there hasn’t been much snow, and that combined with warm conditions have left the area very dry.

“When we were dispatched for the call, the crew had a hard time reaching the fire because of the high winds and the debris on the road,” Charbonneau said. “A lot of trees were falling over. Lots of debris on the roads, which caused a lot of issues for us.”

Yellowhead County said on Facebook that its crews, working with Parkland County, have finished clearing fallen trees that were blocking roads in the Robb and Mercoal area.

It said its firefighters and peace officers, which had been on-scene overnight, are now standing down.

Charbonneau said the overnight snow made it hard to tell how much land burned in the blaze that threatened the communities.