EDMONTON, Alberta — Thousands of Albertans were under evacuation alert Monday as a wind-whipped forest fire charged “like a locomotive” through dust-dry bush.
People in the Poplar Estates subdivision and the South Mitsou Industrial Park just east of Slave Lake, about 90 miles north of Edmonton, were told Monday to leave the area.
About 7,000 other residents of Slave Lake were advised to pack their bags and be ready to head down the highway in the face of the largest of eight out-of-control forest fires in the province.
As late as Sunday afternoon, the so-called Chisholm fire was thought to be largely under control.
But under near-perfect conditions of dry fuel, the fire jumped the Athabasca River and more than doubled in size overnight. Winds gusting to 43 mph have been pushing it directly toward Slave Lake at the rate of about 4 mph.
Monday afternoon, it was only 12 miles from town, leaving fire officials praying for a break in the weather.
“There are some things we can do to steer the fire,” said fire behavior officer Cordy Tymstra. “But when the fire is rolling like a locomotive, there is very little any fire suppression agency can do.”
