Residents in Fort McMurray are being asked to prepare to evacuate the city on short notice due to a nearby fire.
The evacuation alert for the entire city of Fort McMurray, as well as the Saprae Creek area, was issued Friday evening and urges people to be ready to leave.
“At this time an evacuation order has not been issued,” reads the notice. “This is an alert for residents in the effected area to be ready to evacuate on short notice.”
The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo says the wildfire started on Thursday and is approximately 25 kilometres southwest of the city. Smoke is visible from Highway 63 south of Fort McMurray.
Residents are being advised to download the Alberta Emergency Alerts app for further updates. People are also being asked to make an emergency plan, prepare an emergency kit, and keep in touch with neighbours to advise each other of future alerts.
Northern Alberta did not see the recent rainfall that the southern part of the province experienced this week, and the wildfire risk in that part of the province remains extreme.
Earlier this week, the federal government said it believed much of Canada will see above-normal temperatures and less precipitation this spring and summer, setting the stage for strong wildfire conditions across the country.
The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre reported around 90 fires burning as of noon on Thursday, including 12 classified as being out of control. Of the current fires, 40 were burning in Alberta.
Listen to CityNews 660 for more on this developing story.