An emergency alert issued on Sunday for a wildfire in Cypress County, located west of Irvine, Alberta, has been lifted. County officials successfully contained the fire with the help of firefighters and partners, preventing any residential losses. Twelve evacuated residences have been cleared for re-entry as of late Sunday afternoon.
Although residents have been allowed back, firefighters remain active at the site, continuing their efforts into Sunday evening. The alert, initially issued at 12:59 p.m., warned of a wildfire threat to residential homes south of Highway 1 along Range Road 40 with western winds.
Both directions of Range Road 40 have reopened at eastbound Highway 1 as of Sunday afternoon. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced the deployment of Alberta Wildfire crews to support firefighting operations on the ground and from the air.
Response efforts involved HALO air ambulance’s helicopter service and Redcliff RCMP on Sunday. The affected area is southeast of Medicine Hat and approximately a three-hour drive from Calgary.