The Shaftesbury fire remains classified as being held, the evacuation orders have been lifted, and residents are returning to their homes.
The fire is located approximately 20 kilometres south-west of the Town of Peace River and approximately seven kilometres south-east of Grimshaw, towards the river.
Fire crews and emergency personnel remain on the scene. ATCO is reenergizing (turning on) the main line and services at each individual residence this morning. Power lines have been damaged in the fire, and planned outages are critical and necessary over the next few days in order for ATCO to safely replace damaged poles. Below is the schedule of outages for Shaftesbury Settlement residents:
Friday, April 26, 2024 – 8 am to 5 pm
Saturday, April 27, 2024 – 8 am to 5 pm
Sunday, April 28, 2024 – 8 am to 5 pm
Emergency crews are also reminding people to not use drones in the vicinity of this or any wildfire, as their use will force firefighters to halt air operations and fire suppression efforts. Interfering with wildfire control operations can land you a court appearance.
Yesterday, 174 inmates were evacuated from the Peace Regional Correctional Centre and transported by RCMP on school buses to temporary remand centers across the Region.
Community members are reminded to avoid coming to the area of the wildfire, if at all possible, to ensure the safety of themselves and all emergency responders involved.
Report wildfire activity immediately by calling 310-FIRE (3473), or 911.
Up to date information on the current wildfire and evacuation information can be found at https://mdpeace.com or https://srd.web.alberta.ca/peace-river-area-update
Information provided by Alberta Wildfire
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