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Out-of-control wildfires force evacuations across Alberta and Manitoba

Hot, dry winds have hampered firefighting, halted oil operations near Swan Hills, driven thousands into reception centres in Whitecourt.

Image
Smoke rises from wildfire SWF076, which has prompted a one-hour evacuation notice for the nearby town of Swan Hills, Alberta, Canada in an aerial photograph May 25, 2025. Alberta Wildfire/Handout via REUTERS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY
Smoke rises from wildfire SWF076, which has prompted a one-hour evacuation notice for the nearby town of Swan Hills, Alberta, Canada in an aerial photograph May 25, 2025. Alberta Wildfire/Handout via REUTERS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY
Smoke rises from wildfire SWF076, which has prompted a one-hour evacuation notice for the nearby town of Swan Hills, Alberta, Canada in an aerial photograph May 25, 2025. Alberta Wildfire/Handout via REUTERS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY

Overview

  • The Swan Hills wildfire has scorched over 1,600 hectares and remains out of control as of May 28, forcing an immediate evacuation of the town’s 1,300 residents and closure of Highway 33.
  • Oil companies halted operations near the blaze, with Aspenleaf Energy evacuating field crews and shutting in about 4,000 barrels-of-oil-equivalent per day and Canadian Natural Resources monitoring its nearby well sites.
  • Multiple wildfires continue to burn across Alberta, including a 390-hectare fire in Yellowhead County and a 3,100-hectare blaze on the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range that threatens local infrastructure.
  • In Saskatchewan, more than 2,100 people in Pelican Narrows and Hall Lake fled as fire bans took effect, while Manitoba ordered 600 residents from Lynn Lake and put Flin Flon’s 5,000 people on alert for evacuation.
  • The Town of Whitecourt opened the Allan & Jean Millar Centre to register over 700 evacuees from Swan Hills, with hotels, restaurants and local residents mobilizing to offer shelter and supplies.