A wildfire in Barrhead County, situated northwest of Edmonton, led to an evacuation order for certain areas of the municipality on Thursday afternoon. The county declared a state of local emergency due to the fire just before 5 p.m. Initially, the evacuation order covered the Summerlea subdivision, but it was later expanded to include the Thunder Lake subdivision.
County officials reported structural fires in the Thunder Lake subdivision, located south of the provincial park boat launch, around 5:42 p.m. By almost 7 p.m., the evacuation order for the Summerlea subdivision was lifted, allowing residents to return home, while the order for the Thunder Lake subdivision remained in place.
An eyewitness, Bayley Timm, recounted hearing a neighbor shout “fire!” while she was at Thunder Lake working on a cottage, leading to a moment of panic before realizing the fire was on the east side of the lake. The county announced that the fire had been contained by Thursday evening.
In a later update around 9:30 p.m., the county stated that evacuees from the Thunder Lake subdivision would not be permitted to return home that night, as fire response teams were still addressing hot spots and assessing utility impacts. The next update was expected on Friday morning.
According to Adam Vanderwekken, a spokesperson for Barrhead County, the fire had affected eight cabins and approximately 30 outbuildings, with some structures destroyed and others damaged. County reeve Erik Munck described the blaze as a grass fire that destroyed some structures but fortunately caused no injuries. He emphasized the emotional impact on those who lost their homes.
Evacuees were directed to take Highway 18 to Barrhead’s county office for registration. Munck expressed gratitude for the community’s cooperation with the evacuation order, noting the effectiveness of emergency responders’ coordinated efforts and partnerships.
The cause of the fire remained unknown, with county officials planning to assess the damage and support residents in the recovery process on the following day. Thunder Lake is located about 150 kilometers northwest of Edmonton.