Inmates among those under evacuation order as Alberta wildfire burns near Peace River

Some residents in northwestern Alberta have been told to evacuate the area immediately due to the threat of wildfire.

The order is for residents of the Municipal District of Peace No. 135 in the area of Township Road 830, south to the Peace River, and from Highway 684, east to the Peace River. Those residents need to evacuate immediately and head to Grimshaw, Alta., where they can register at the Royal Canadian Legion located at at 5011 49 Ave.

The Alberta Emergency Management Agency issued the order at 5:27 p.m. Tuesday, and it was updated at 7:06 p.m.

An evacuation alert is also in place for a portion of the area west of Highway 684 and north of Township Road 830. Residents in that area need to be prepared to leave on short notice.

The MD has a population of more than 1,700 residents.

MD officials said on social media that the RCMP are on location and coordinating evacuation efforts.

Reeve Robert Willing told CBC the fire covers about 250 hectares.

Willing said the dry conditions in the area have made it difficult to determine whether crews will be able to contain the fire by the end of the night.

"It's in an area that's that's quite rugged, It's in the Peace River Valley," Willing said.

"It's very dry, and there's very little access into the area. So the loss of potential loss of homes is fairly minimal. But at the same time, the fire moves rapidly over very rough terrain."

Inmates moved to secure space

Willing, who lives one kilometre away from the fire, said he may have to prepare to evacuate should the order be expanded.

The municipal fire department, Town of Grimshaw, Town of Peace River, County of Northern Lights and Alberta Forestry are collaborating to contain the fire.

The provincial department is using water bombers and helicopter bucketing.

• Read the latest news about Alberta wildfires here

A spokesperson for the province said inmates of the Peace River Correctional Centre will be evacuated to a safe and secure space, and are under no imminent threat from the fire.

Road closures are also in effect according to advisories from 511 Alberta. Highway 684 from Highway 740 to Peace River Correctional Centre is affected with all lanes being closed.

Fire crews are on scene along the highway, southwest of Peace River, with people being asked to avoid the area.

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