1 of 4 | Evacuation orders remained in place for 17 communities in Alberta, Canada, Saturday as more than 200 structures have been damaged or lost to wildfires across the province. Photo courtesy of Alberta Wildfire
May 20 (UPI) -- Wildfire evacuation orders remained in place for 17 communities across Alberta Saturday as Canadian firefighters braced for the return of hot, dry weather over the long holiday weekend.
More than 200 structures have so far been damaged or lost to wildfires in the western province and at least 10,000 people are waiting to be able to return home, according to the latest updates from provincial authorities. There are 90 active fires, with 25 of those classified as out of control.
As of noon Saturday, 13 fires of note were burning inside Alberta's Forest Protection Zones, requiring helicopters and heavy equipment in an attempt to keep them at bay.
"A wildfire of note is determined to be of significant public interest and may pose a threat to public safety, communities or critical infrastructure," the province says on its website.
Alberta declared a state of emergency two weeks ago, and firefighters now face hot and dry weather over the Canadian Victoria Day long weekend. Temperatures are up to 10 degrees Celsius above seasonal averages in some areas.
The province typically sees a spike in human-caused wildfires over the May long weekend, which is viewed as the unofficial start of the summer season.
"May long weekend is one of the busiest times for human-caused wildfires. This weekend, we are asking Albertans to put safety first and support our wildfire response by restricting outdoor recreation activities in the northwest region of the Forest Protection Area," Alberta Wildfire said in a tweet.
Nearly 100 new wildfires were reported over the same long weekend last year, as camping enthusiasts flock to Alberta's over 470 provincial parks. The majority of those fires were human-caused.
At least 275 structures have been damaged so far this wildfire season, Alberta Emergency Management Agency officials said during a Friday afternoon news conference.
"The current wildfire situation in Alberta remains volatile," the agency's executive director Colin Blair told reporters.
"It is critical that all Albertans remain vigilant and closely follow the wildfire situation across the province where it remains under a provincial state of emergency and the Provincial Emergency Coordination Centre remains at level four. The fire danger is rated as very high to extreme in northern Alberta and high along the eastern slopes and the Rockies."
Alberta Wildfire requested federal help Friday afternoon, calling for an additional 100 members of the Canadian Armed Forces to assist with the firefighting effort.
