Alberta wildfires: People from Edson allowed to return home Monday
Global News
More than 8,000 people from Edson and some Yellowhead County residents can return home Monday after a massive wildfire forced them all to flee Friday afternoon.
More than 8,000 people from Edson and some Yellowhead County residents will get return home Monday after a massive wildfire came dangerously close, forcing them all to flee Friday afternoon.
The evacuation order from Marlboro to the Chip Lake area including the town of Edson is being lifted at 8 a.m.
The Yellowhead Highway from Hinton to Edson is set to re-open Monday at 8 a.m.
For many, it marks the end of three consecutive mornings waking up in parking lots, hotel rooms, on cots in community gyms and on the hard ground in a dome of nylon tenting.
“Two nights in the tent. We finally got a hotel room,” said Lindsay Austin, surrounded by his four children and a myriad of furry friends. “It will be nice to sleep in a bed. … It’s been a little nerve-wracking.”
“I want to be at home. I’m worried about what’s going on,” said 17-year-old Lakaia Austin. “There’s been no settling.”
Shuttle busses will be available to transport people from evacuation centres in both Jasper and Hinton.
Drivers are being encouraged to stagger their re-entry plans to avoid the bumper-to-bumper gridlock experienced during the evacuation.