Harper and Stelmach to visit fire-ravaged Slave Lake
Posted May 20, 2011 8:10 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper will be in Slave Lake Friday for the first time since wildfires destroyed a third of the town.
All roads into the town remain closed as residents wait dozens of kilometres away in evacuation centres for news on when they can return home.
Harper will join Premier Ed Stelmach and a group of reporters; the tour is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m.
They’ll see firsthand what thousands of residents have only been able to view in pictures – hundreds of buildings burned to the ground, the shells of cars and trucks, twisted steel, metal and ash.
On Thursday, provincial officials released information on 374 destroyed and 52 damaged properties.
While the immediate threat of a wildfire in the town is gone, hundreds of firefighters are working to suppress blazes surrounding Slave Lake.
Wildfires near the town continue to rage out of control and 660News Meteorologist David Spence says the forecast won’t be much help to the firefighting efforts.
“Overall, the forecast is not necessarily good news for firefighters but it’s not the worst case scenario either,” he says. “Lightning is never welcomed in a fire zone and there could be some lightning over the next couple of days but the wind is not going to pick up. That’s going to give firefighters a break and while the rain will not be that beneficial, any little bit does help.”
Fire crews have been able to prevent the blazes from spreading over the last couple of days, but lightning always poses the risk of reigniting hot spots.
