Calgary firefighters return from Slave Lake
Posted May 30, 2011 4:57 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Residents of Slave Lake in Northern Alberta have said their heartfelt goodbyes to firefighters who prevented a wildfire from destroying the entire town.
Mayor Karina Pillay-Kinnee thanked a small group representing roughly 1,000 smoke eaters from 30 different departments across the province.
She said the crews risked their lives to contain a wind-whipped fire that blazed through one-third of the community May 15th and forced 7,000 people to flee for their lives.
Officials have confirmed there is no longer a threat of fires reigniting in Slave Lake, Sawridge or the Municipal District of Lesser Slave River.
Residents were allowed to return to the town Friday after being away for nearly two weeks.
The last of the Calgary contingent that went to the fire returned home on Monday afternoon.
During the peak of the blaze, Calgary had 140 personnel on the ground.
