Firefighters continue to battle blaze in Slave Lake
Posted May 16, 2011 10:23 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Fire crews are desperately trying to save what’s left of Slave Lake.
95 per cent of the town’s residents have been evacuated and more than a third of the town has been destroyed as a wild fire continues to burn out of control. Officials conducted a house-to-house search for any remaining residents Monday night. Residents are not being allowed back into the community due to safety concerns.
Rob Harris with Alberta Sustainable Resources tells 660News, firefighters were able to hold much of their ground as the wind died down Monday afternoon which gave them a considerable advantage and prevented the fire’s growth.
A spokesperson with the Alberta Emergency Management Agency says this is now a town-wide mandatory evacuation.
He says there have been problems with cell phone reception in the area and spreading the word about evacuations became even more difficult after the town’s local radio station was also destroyed in the fire.
The salvation army has even stepped in to provide various services at the reception centers to help people who have left their homes.
There are reports that signs of the fire can be seen as far away as Yellowknife.
More information can be found at http://www.srd.alberta.ca/wildfire/Default.aspx
