The Town of High Level has set up a reception and evacuation centre at the High Level Sports Complex to assist with a large influx of expected evacuees into the community.

Wildfires threatening the Little Red River Cree Nation community of Fox Lake have forced the evacuation of about 1,800 residents as a precautionary measure. Some of those residents began arriving in High Level late Wednesday evening, May 3, 2023.

As of Thursday morning, The Town of High Level has welcomed about 550 evacuees. There are 1,200 more expected to arrive in the coming days, making use of local hotels and with a large number to be housed at the arena.

While we know High Level residents are eager to assist our neighbours, donations are not being requested. Please do not bring donations to the arena. Instead, please do what High Level residents are best at – making our guests feel welcome in the community while we ensure they are safe and cared for during their emergency.

A fire advisory remains in effect for the High Level Forest Area due to continuing hot, dry conditions. Alberta Wildfire has upgraded the wildfire danger to “Extreme” in the High Level Forest Protection Area. The Town of High Level is not part of the Forest Area but is located within its borders.

Please monitor official channels, such as the Town of High Level social media pages or Alberta Wildfire website, for updates.

Our thoughts are with all those affected by the fire at this time.

For wildfire information in the High Level Forest Area, please visit:

https://srd.web.alberta.ca/high-level-area-update