About 200 people flee foothills fires in west-central Alberta

NORDEGG, Alta. – About 200 people from two communities in the foothills of west-central Alberta have been forced from their homes by forest fires.

Emergency evacuations were ordered late Sunday afternoon for Nordegg and Lodgepole as high winds drove flames towards the hamlets.

Officials say all 100 of Lodgepole’s residents have been accounted for and the highway in has been closed.

As of Sunday night, the fire near Lodgepole was within two kilometres of the community.

Another 100-plus people fled Nordegg and 60 registered at an evacuation centre at Rocky Mountain House, about an hour’s drive away, although none stayed overnight.

The spread of the fires will depend on whether winds die down, temperatures cool and rain in the forecast actually develops.