Colin Blair, executive director, Alberta Emergency Management Agency (Government of Alberta)

By rdnewsNOW Staff

May 15, 2023

Provincial officials provide update on Alberta’s wildfire situation, as of 5:00 p.m. May 15

May 15, 2023 | 2:08 PM

New evacuation orders have been issued in parts of Alberta as hot and dry conditions across the province see wildfire activity increase.

Those evacuated due to wildfires should register at local reception centres or at emergencyregistration.alberta.ca.

Current situation

Alberta has declared a provincial state of emergency. Visit alberta.ca/emergency for information or call 310-4455, now available 24-7.
The fire danger is extreme in northern Alberta with hot, dry, windy conditions expected to persist in the coming days. A moderate to high rating is expected for the southern Rockies.
Current wildfire information is available on the Alberta Wildfire Status Dashboard.
A fire ban and an off-highway vehicle restriction are in place across the Forest Protection Area.
Evacuation orders: 15
Alberta Emergency Alerts: 17 (seven orders, five critical alerts, four advisories)
Number of evacuees: 19,294
Alberta currently has more than 2,500 wildland firefighters, 165 helicopters, 25 fixed-wing aircraft, and heavy equipment responding to wildfires in the province.
- 1,649 Alberta Wildfire personnel are deployed across the province.
- More than 600 wildland firefighters have come from British Columbia, Quebec, Ontario, the Yukon, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Oregon, Alaska, Washington, Montana and Parks Canada to support ongoing operations.
- There are currently 300 Canadian Armed Forces personnel assisting operations, providing resources and basic firefighting roles, airlift resources for mobility and logistical tasks including the evacuation of isolated communities, and engineering support, including heavy equipment resources as capacity allows.
An additional 62 personnel from New Brunswick and Ontario will arrive in the coming days.

A mandatory evacuation alert for the town of Valleyview was issued at 1:30 p.m. today.
Alberta Education will automatically exempt students evacuated due to wildfire from writing the diploma exams if they have been displaced from school for 10 or more school days and not have it count against their final grade.
Students who do not want the exemption can choose to either:
- Write their diploma exams in a different community in June.
- Write their diploma exams in August.

Since the announcement of one-time emergency financial assistance for evacuees, more than 9,400 applications have been processed.
More than $14.8 million in e-transfers has been sent to evacuees.
More than $2.5 million in debit cards has been distributed.
Debit cards are available for evacuees unable to receive an e-transfer at 16 Alberta Supports Centre locations with extended hours and at Edmonton and Calgary evacuation centres.

Albertans who wish to help can make cash donations through the Canadian Red Cross or within their regions to a recognized charitable organization of their choice.
The Government of Canada and the Government of Alberta will each match every dollar donated to the Canadian Red Cross 2023 Alberta Fires Appeal. This means that every $1 donated will become $3 to support those affected by the wildfires.
Individuals and companies with goods or services to offer or donate to support the government’s response to the wildfire can email EmergencySupportOffers@gov.ab.ca.

For more information on the emergency and supports for evacuees, go to alberta.ca/emergency.

by rdnewsNOW Staff