Alberta: Evacuation order for High Level area lifted
People forced to flee from a wildfire in the High Level, Alta., area will be able to return home on Monday.
The northern Alberta town and surrounding communities have been under an evacuation order since May 20, as the out-of-control Chuckegg Creek wildfire burns nearby.
Evacuation orders for High Level, Mackenzie County, Bushe River, Meander River and Chateh will lift at 10 a.m., according to the Town of High Level website.
SEE ALSO: Paddle Prairie resident deals with loss of home to wildfire
The order will be replaced by an evacuation alert, meaning people should still be ready to leave on short notice.
Evacuation alert map for MacKenzie County. Photo: MacKenzie County.
"Officials from the county, town and First Nation, along with their respective fire chiefs, in addition to Alberta Wildfire, have determined this area is relatively safe from the fire. This could change, if the weather changes," the website reads.
The town is asking people to arrive after 10 a.m., so they won't have to wait in a line of vehicles.
Community leaders made the announcement Sunday morning in a Facebook live with Alberta Premier Jason Kenney.
High Level Mayor Crystal McAteer said local grocery stores, banks and the hospital will be open.
"Everything is ready, so when you come back tomorrow, we'll be very excited to see you," she said.
At 280,000 hectares, the wildfire is still out of control.
"The wildfire remains very active and unpredictable," the town website reads. "Smoke may be very thick for days and weeks to come, and ash may be falling."
Kenney said there isn't much precipitation in the forecast for northwestern Alberta.
"But with the higher humidity and the time that the wildfire services had to create some structural defences elsewhere, I think we have some reason to be hopeful that this big fire is going to be contained," he said.
About 11,000 people have evacuated their homes as multiple out-of-control wildfires burn across northern Alberta.
Deb Stecyk evacuated from High Level with her sister and husband, and has been staying in Grande Prairie. She said they're thrilled to go home, as the past two weeks have been stressful.
"One day you're optimistic, you think you're going to be going home. And then the winds would shift and again, we would be basically back to the starting point," Stecyk told CBC News.
She and her family have been spending a lot of time online, checking the weather forecast and updates from media.
"With Paddle Prairie losing 15 homes, that was devastating news, too. So it was just a roller coaster of emotions every day," she said.
"You just try to push forward and keep focused and hope to get home soon. That's been the driving force, at least for me."
Stecyk said she's feeling uneasy knowing the area will still be under an evacuation alert.
"You're a little bit on the edge of your seat," she said. "We're hopeful, but we're also guarded."
Source: This article, written by Anna McMillan, was originally published for CBC News
