St-Onge specified, “Our teams on the ground have been working hard to prepare for more challenging conditions. Firefighters have been building fire breaks around communities and making use of firefighters coming in from outside the province.”
She included that the province is anticipated to see more hot and dry conditions over the coming days, which might result in more extreme wildfire activity. However, St-Onge said, “Conditions can change quickly, and our fire weather and fire behaviour experts are watching them closely.”
She kept in mind that lightning strikes within the last couple of days might result in more fires.
“Lightning-caused fires can smolder for days and ignite when the conditions are hot, dry, and windy. Responding to these new wildfires will be a priority,” St-Onge explained.
With hotter conditions en route, she said Albertans can do their part to help by appreciating fire restrictions in result, along with any off-highway vehicle constraints in the Forest Protection Area.
“We want our firefighters to be able to focus on the wildfires that are already burning on the landscape instead of responding to new ones.”
St-Onge said there are presently over 1,000 wildland firemens, heavy equipment, and helicopter operators reacting to blazes throughout Alberta. Crews from other locations of Alberta, and beyond the province have actually been released to help.
She said, “More than 300 wildland firefighters have come from Parks Canada, British Columbia, Quebec, Ontario, Yukon, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and United States. We are expecting another 200 firefighters to arrive from the United States tomorrow [May 13, 2023].”
BONUS HELP
Military support has actually likewise been released to the Grande Prairie and Drayton Valley locations. Military workers are assisting with mop-up operations, well-being suppression, and basic firefighting responsibilities.
FIND OUT MORE: Military hired to help in Alberta wildfire reaction
St-Onge commented, “Over 200 soldiers are already hard at work, and about 100 more are expected to start working in the coming days, including in the Fox Creek area.”
The present status of wildfires in the province is available at the Alberta Wildfire Status Dashboard. Updated wildfire details from the province is available at the Government of Alberta website.
Earlier on Friday, May 12, the province revealed that it would be eliminating the cost of changing recognition for wildfire evacuees who might have lost products such as their driver’s license throughout the evacuation procedure.
FIND OUT MORE: Alberta eliminating expenses for wildfire evacuees who require replacement ID
Alberta Health Services (AHS) is using assistance to evacuees and all those affected by the wildfires. People can text the word ‘wildfire’ to 88111 and receive details by means of text about remaining safe, emergency situation preparation, and staying healthy.
Executive director of Health Link, Carolyn Grolman said, “We want to provide information to Albertans in a variety of ways, increasing access to and connecting them to information they need, when they need it, regardless of where they are located.”
“This additional resource will help ensure instant accessibility of important wildfire information in a time when thousands of Albertans are displaced.”
Additionally, Albertans can register for the Text4Hope program to receive totally free messages of assistance every day. To sign up with, people can text HopeAB to 393939.
Mental health assistances are available by calling 1-877-303-2642. A toll-free Indigenous Support Line is available in the AHS North and South zones at 1-844-944-4744.
FIND OUT MORE: Alberta Health Services launches South Zone Indigenous assistance line
Until Sunday, May 14, the provincial federal government is hosting telephone city center. They happen each night starting at 7:30 p.m. and permit authorities to offer updates and respond to concerns or address issues from displaced Albertans.
FIND OUT MORE: Province hosting telephone city center for wildfire evacuees
