Destroyed homes, infrastructure among wildfire losses in northern Alberta communities
CBC
An increasing number of northern Alberta residents forced to flee fast-moving wildfires are learning their homes may not have survived the flames.
Four northern Indigenous communities — Sturgeon Lake Cree First Nation, Little Red River Cree Nation, East Prairie Métis Settlement and Little Red River Cree Nation — are among the Alberta communities now reporting significant losses.
At least 40 structures were destroyed on the Sturgeon Lake First Nation, located 360 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, its chief said in a video posted to social media.
"We're still evaluating the damage," said Chief Sheldon Sunshine, of the Sturgeon Lake Cree First Nation. "As the fire is still ongoing, there is more and more damage that continues to occur."
Around 1,600 people were forced to flee from the community on Friday. It could be up to a month before they are allowed to return home.
Heavy rain and cooler temperatures Monday provided a temporary reprieve for communities in some parts of the province but little to no precipitation fell in the further reaches of northern Alberta.
The drought-like conditions, powerful winds and a forecasted return to extreme heat are expected to fuel wildfires over the coming days.
As of Tuesday morning, 89 wildfires were burning across Alberta, 24 of which were burning out of control. Around 30,000 people remain displaced from their homes across the province.
Sunshine said no access is being granted to the Sturgeon Lake Cree First Nation community and the band council will be bringing in security to secure the evacuation zone.
The immediate damage to infrastructure is already extensive, he said.
"We want to keep people safe," he said. "There is substantial damage to the power grid. There are power poles in multiple areas that are down. Our water treatment plant went down due to loss of power.
"This is going to take several weeks to sort out.… We're asking our residents to be patient with us as we work on our recovery plan."
The East Prairie Metis Settlement, located about 125 kilometres to the east, lost 14 homes. A bridge in the community was also destroyed, meaning some members may not easily get home even if the evacuation order is lifted.
Brad Desjarlais, a firefighter in the community, said it has been extremely dry in the area, especially the grass.