Slave Lake fire evacuees wait to hear if their homes spared

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Thousands of people who had to flee their northern Alberta community, as a wind-whipped wildfire crackled through their town, are waiting to hear if their homes are still standing.

Police say nearly one-third of Slave Lake has been destroyed or has been damaged. Reports say the RCMP detachment, town hall, high school, library, radio station and residential houses have all fallen to the flames.

There have been no reports of deaths or injuries.

One man who decided to leave even before a mandatory evacuation of the town's 7,000 residents was ordered around suppertime Sunday said the speed of the fire caught everyone by surprise.

Scott Sieben said winds gusting up to 100 kilometres an hour fanned the flames. "It was almost like an imaginary hand just pulling it along."

He said the blaze was so intense it was "like watching an oil fire. Black as black can be."

"It was so out of control," said Sieben, who, with his wife, Leonna, was safe "far, far away" from the fire. "I'm sure at one point there was a cloud that spanned two miles."

Residents were initially warned to go to green spaces, open areas such as parking lots or the beach ringing the shore of Lesser Slave Lake, a popular recreation area.

But as it became evident that the fire was licking at the edges of the town nestled on the lake's southeast corner, they were told to get out on the only highway that was still open. The others had been blocked by heavy smoke and flames .

Evacuation centres were set up the communities of Westlock, Athabasca and the city of Edmonton, 250 kilometres to the south.

Alberta Municipal Affairs said Monday morning that 90 per cent of the town was empty and only essential or firefighting staff remained.

More firefighters were on their way, including a crew from Calgary and about 70 from the Edmonton area. A national heavy urban search-and-rescue team was deployed to Westlock to help manage evacuees.

Nearly 30 patients at the hospital in Slave Lake were transported to facilities in other communities, said John Muir, a spokesman with Alberta Emergency Management.

Crews had been working since Saturday to fight two separate fires near the town, but were challenged by the strong winds and warm, dry conditions.