Town of Hay River Mayor Kandis Jameson has spoken on the ongoing evacuation process as a result of the fires spreading through Hay River.
Hay River began a full evacuation of the town last night around 11:00 pm due to concerns of spreading and other environmental factors.
“We had winds coming from the east to the west, and we had the fire jumping the river in some places,” Jameson told MyTrueNorthNow.
A timeline regarding when residents can return to their homes has not been released, and Mayor Jameson confirmed that a return does not appear to be happening soon.
“It’s definitely not safe to return, the winds are very unpredictable and strong so it’s difficult to predict what will happen next,” Jameson said.
Residents who remain in the municipality are encouraged to evacuate immediately as close to all emergency services are unavailable during this time and will be unable to assist anyone remaining in the area.
“To those who have chosen to stay behind, I can’t stress enough the importance of staying away from emergency crews, let them do their job.” Mayor Jameson advised.
The Town says they are advising displaced residents to head north for relief, specifically in Yellowknife due to fires spreading across northern Alberta and causing evacuations in those areas.
“I don’t believe there will be a hotel room available between Hay River and Edmonton at this point with all the communities that have been evacuated,” Jameson said.
“During last year’s floods, many of our residents chose to go south to High Level which I would discourage given all the evacuations in that area,” the Mayor added.
The Town of Hay River has set up a helpline for evacuees at +1 (833)-699-0188 for general information and transportation if needed.
