Alberta wildfire near national park damages Ukrainian heritage village buildings

A Friday wildfire eastbound of Edmonton destroyed oregon damaged respective buildings successful the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village — nary of which were humanities structures.

The occurrence adjacent Elk Island National Park jumped Highway 16, and closed the thoroughfare to postulation for respective hours. This prompted 5 households to evacuate retired of precaution. But firefighters got the flames nether power earlier they neared those homes, an Alberta RCMP spokesperson told CBC News.

Mounties person not yet confirmed the grade of the damage. But Jay Zaal, a spokesperson for Lamont County, wherever the colony is located, told CBC News that 4 structures were impacted, including the village's visitant centre.

Photos shared by RCMP connected Friday amusement important harm to the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village. One gathering pictured had been reduced to rubble.

The colony — an open-air depository depicting beingness of aboriginal settlers and Ukrainian civilization — contains dozens of historical buildings, each of which firefighters were capable to protect. But some administrative and operational buildings "were lost," Zaal said.

WATCH | Wildfire burning adjacent Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village:

Lamont County Emergency Services responded to the occurrence astir 4 p.m. Friday and called successful communal assistance from the Strathcona County, Zaal said. Devin Capcara, lawman main of readying and projects for Strathcona County Emergency Services, confirmed "several crews" were sent to the scene.

An Alberta Wildfire spokesperson told CBC News that the occurrence fell extracurricular the provincial wood extortion area, and the determination firefighting agencies did not petition assistance from the agency.

Although, according to the RCMP spokesperson, immoderate section farmers utilized their instrumentality to assistance douse the flames erstwhile they jumped the highway.

RCMP issued an update astir 9:45 p.m., saying the occurrence was deemed nether control. The evacuation bid was lifted and the road re-opened to postulation successful some directions.

Dry upwind and dense winds factored into the hours-long occurrence fight, Zaal said, adding that the conditions forced aerial enactment to enactment grounded. 

An RCMP spokesperson told CBC News astir 10 p.m. Friday that it was unclear if the evacuated residents had returned to their homes.

In a late-night connection posted connected X, formerly Twitter, Alberta Minister of Arts, Culture and Status of Women Tanya Fir thanked archetypal responders for their efforts, noting nary colony unit were onsite and nary injuries were reported. 

She said much accusation volition beryllium shared this weekend.

On Saturday morning, crews were inactive monitoring blistery spots successful the colony and grasslands wherever the occurrence started, Zaal said successful an email astatine 8:20 a.m.

Elk Island National Park and neighbouring Lamont County are nether a occurrence restriction. RCMP accidental the fire's origin is inactive nether investigation.