Vernon man deployed to help Alberta wildfire victims

A Vernon man is heading to Alberta to assist the thousands of evacuees affected by the wildfires.

Stefan Reid, a member of the Vernon Salvation Army, will be acting as the logistics chief for the Alberta wildfire response.

He has been deployed to Slave Lake and Calling Lake for one week to provide aid to the thousands of evacuees who have fled from their homes.

“Our primary response right now is feeding people, so right now we are in three different locations in Alberta looking after and feeding evacuees and volunteers, so whoever needs a meal,” he said.

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Roughly 10,000 residents have been forced to flee their homes throughout northern Alberta after dry conditions, lightning and heavy winds caused two fires in the province to grow out of control.

The fires have so far consumed 16 homes.

On Monday, 4,000 people in High Level Alta., one of the hardest hit communities, were told they could go back to their residences after the evacuation order was lifted.

But the community remains on high alert as officials have instructed evacuees to be ready to leave once again in a moment’s notice.

In Slave Lake, another community battling an out of control wildfire, heavy winds, and lightning over the weekend had many residents fearing for homes as they remained on an eight-hour evacuation alert.

According to the Alberta Wildfire Service 11 fires have been burning in the last 24 hours. One fire is believed to be caused by lighting, while the other 10 remain under investigation.

The fire currently stands at 238,254 ha in size and is burning 33 km northeast of the town of Slave Lake.