The County of Grande Prairie has issued an expanded evacuation alert area for a wildfire burning southwest of Kelly Lake due to significant fire growth. The evacuation alert area has been expanded north and south to include everyone north of Township Road 710 to Township Road 740, east of the British Columbia/Alberta border to Range Road 130. No evacuation is required at this time. If an evacuation order is issued, residents will have 30 minutes to evacuate.
The Kiskatinaw River wildfire (G70422) burns approximately 5 km from the Alberta border. The fire was 3,901 hectares and has now updated the fire growth to 6,532 hectares.
BC Wildfire Service expects further fire growth over the next few days due to westerly winds reaching over 50 kilometres per hour on Thursday and up to 60 kilometres per hour by Friday. These winds will continue to drive the fire north, south, and eastward toward Kelly Lake and the Alberta border.
The County of Grande Prairie continues to work closely with BC Wildfire Service, Alberta Wildfire, and the Peace River Regional District to plan ahead and help keep nearby people, homes, and animals safe. Conditions may change rapidly so please stay informed and be prepared.
Access to wildfire area closed at the border
County Regional Fire Service would like to remind the public to stay clear of the area and allow crews to conduct their work. A staffed checkpoint is in place with barricades at the border and RCMP are patrolling the evacuation area.
Where to find updates
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Ongoing updates: County’s Facebook page and website, www.countygp.ab.ca. Download the Voyent Alert! app or register for email, SMS, or phone alerts at https://register.voyent-alert.com.
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Visit the Alberta Emergency Alert website or download the app.
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Smoke location and movement: www.firesmoke.ca
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Health concerns related to smoke exposure: Alberta Health Link
Information provided by the County of Grande Prairie