Cypress County crew battled northern fires

Southern Alberta Newspapers

Seven Cypress County firefighters were on route to relieve those battling blazes in Northern Alberta, the county stated on May 12. The province is under a state of emergency as active wildfires in the double-digits have forced thousands of Albertans to evacuate areas north and west of Edmonton. More than 800 firefighters are part of the control effort. Local firefighters were taking part in a province-wide rotation that saw them return this week.

“We’ve all seen how dangerous the fires in our province are and want to do what we can to help as they deal with the ongoing crisis,” said Cypress County chief administrator Tarolyn Aaserud. “These resources will not impact our ability to respond here at home, but are desperately needed by our neighbours.”

Three vehicles from the local service were also involved in the deployment.

Cypress County has been subject to local fire restrictions since April 28 due to warm dry weather that officials say has elevated the risk of wildfires. That prohibits all open fires in the municipality and suspends all burning permits.