It was a weekend of turmoil in Northern Alberta as thousands were evacuated because of raging wildfires in the area.

While most of the evacuations were for precautionary reasons, it still left many wondering if their homes and towns were going to be safe. This list included Roland Kamotzki who grew up in Portage but now lives in Edson, one of the evacuated communities. Kamotzki says he was told to leave around 6 p.m. on Friday and headed toward Hinton.

"We are parked 15 minutes west of Hinton in our camper. The fire is 12 kms east of our home and around 13 kms south of the town of Edson. The fire by us, one of many, is estimated to be around 77 thousand hectares and is still listed as out of control. It rained at our house last night and in Edson off and on, so it is keeping the fire at bay for now. However we have not been advised of when we can go back and there are hot windy temperatures in the future forecast, so they warned us that it will be an ongoing issue for a while possibly. The parking lots and campgrounds and hotels are all being utilized by the towns west of Edson (Hinton and Jasper)"

More than 325 wildfires have burned more than 25,000 hectares across the province. The community of Fox Lake has been one of the hardest hit and lost the RCMP detachment along with around 20 homes and a few buildings.

More than 29,000 individuals have been evacuated from communities throughout north and central Alberta.

Natural Resources Canada currently lists Manitoba's fire risk at low however Its forecast projections for July and August have some parts of the province — and much of western Canada — in the high or extreme severity categories.

Some of the bigger Alberta evacuations include:

  • Brazeau County (and Drayton Valley)
    • Evacuation date: May 4
    • People evacuated: 2,440
  • Parkland County (Entwistle)
    • Evacuation date: May 4
    • People evacuated: 750
    • Evacuation location: Jubilee Hall, 5132 53 Ave, Wabamun
  • Yellowhead County (Evansburg, Wildwood, Lobstick, Hansonville, Brazeau Dam) 
    • Evacuation date: May 4
    • People evacuated: 1,270
    • Evacuation location: Edson District Leisure Centre 
  • Yellowhead County (Edson, Marlboro)
    • Evacuation date: May 5
    • People evacuated: 8,000
    • Evacuation location: Hinton and Jasper 
  • Fox Creek 
    • Evacuation date: May 5
    • People evacuated: 2,189
    • Evacuation location: Allan and Jean Millar Centre, Whitecourt 
  • High Prairie 
    • Evacuation date: May 6
    • People evacuated: 2,564
  • County of Grande Prairie 
    • Evacuation date: May 5
    • People evacuated: 240
    • Evacuation location: Bonnets Energy Centre, City of Grande Prairie
  • Little Red River Cree Nation (Fox Lake) 
    • Evacuation date: May 3
    • People evacuated: 3,600
    • Evacuation location: High Level Arena Complex / Fort Vermillion Welcome Centre 
  • Peerless Trout First Nation (Atikameg, Whitefish) 
    • Evacuation date: May 5
    • People evacuated: 723
    • Evacuation location: Town of Slave Lake Office 
  • Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation / MD of Greenview 
    • Evacuation date: May 5
    • People evacuated: 1,550
    • Evacuation location: Memorial Hall, Valleyview