Alberta wildfire: Drayton Valley fire chief issues emotional plea for evacuees to be patient

In central Alberta, a wildfire that destroyed some homes near Drayton Valley remained out of control Monday — four days after an evacuation order was issued for the 7,000 or so residents.

The Alberta Emergency Alert was cancelled for the area and Brazeau County said that has caused a lot of confusion for evacuees as it is not yet safe to return.

The county said rumours are circulating that the community is safe and people can return, but that is false.

Tom Thomson, the fire chief for Drayton Valley and Brazeau County Fire Services, issued an emotional plea to frustrated residents eager to return, saying crews are doing what they can to make the central Alberta community safe again.

“We are getting immense pressure from our evacuees to come back to the community and they want to come home,” he said during a situation update Monday afternoon.

“We hear you. I have a family too… that’s not here,” he said, his voice breaking with strong emotion. “Many of the people that are in place working on this incident have also been evacuated.”

For more info, please go to https://globalnews.ca/news/9684153/drayton-valley-wildfire-may-8/

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