By Canadian Press

Growing wildfire prompts evacuation of High Level, Alta.

May 20, 2019 | 5:51 PM

HIGH LEVEL, Alta. — Approximately 4,000 residents of a northern Alberta town are being told to leave due to the threat of an encroaching wildfire.

People are being told to leave High Level on Highway 58 east of the town, since highways south and west of the community have already been closed due to the blaze.

Reception centres for evacuees have been set up in High Prairie and Slave Lake, and officials are arranging transportation for residents who can’t get out on their own.

The Chuckegg Creek fire has been burning for several days, but grew substantially between Sunday, when it covered about 25,000 hectares, to an estimated 69,000 hectares on Monday.

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Scott Elliot, an incident commander with Alberta Wildfire, says the blaze is about three kilometres from High Level.

He says that the fire is mostly spreading in a direction that’s away from the town, but that the threat level prompted the mayor and council to order the evacuation.

The Canadian Press