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Lightning sparks 11 new wildfires in Alberta


May 26, 2015   by Canadian Underwriter


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Four wildfires continue to burn out of control in Alberta, one day after lightning sparked 11 new wildfires and the province issued a full fire ban on all forests.

Wildfire east of the Town of Slave Lake forces evacuation of nearly 4,000 people. Photo: @weathernetwork

As of 10 a.m. Tuesday, 19 wildfires were burning out of control, 20 were being held and 26 were under control across the province, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

Of the four wildfires burning out of control following the lighting strikes, one forced an estimated evacuation of about 3,700 residents east of the Town of Slave Lake. “Airtankers have laid retardant lines around the entire wildfire,” the ministry reported in a statement, adding that 64 firefighters and three helicopters are fighting the wildfire. The three other wildfires include one west of Peerless Lake (an estimated 117 hectares) and two about 40 kilometres northeast of Wabasca (30.5 hectares in total, down substantially from about 200 hectares on Sunday).

The wildfires came one day after the province of Alberta implemented a full fire ban for all forests, including campfires in campgrounds or backcountry and random camping areas (including charcoal briquettes).

Related: Alberta applies full fire ban to provincial forests

Alberta has already deployed more than 1,300 wildland firefighters and approximately 100 aircraft to battle the wildfires underway, and the provinces of Ontario and Quebec have sent additional resources to Alberta to assist, the government reported on Monday.

To date this year since April 1, Alberta has experienced 629 wildfires that have burned 13,098 hectares.

Bill Adams, vice president, Western & Pacific, Insurance Bureau of Canada said in a release on Tuesday that “in certain circumstances, if you are ordered to leave your residence because of an evacuation order, home and tenant insurance policies will provide coverage for additional living expenses.”

When it is safe to do so, Adams recommended that people take the following steps to begin the insurance claims process:

• Assess and document potential damages. Taking photos can be helpful;

• Call an insurance representative to report damages or losses; and

• Be as detailed as possible when providing information.

“Most home and business insurance policies will cover fire damage, but the first priority for all must be the safety of you and your loved ones,” Adams said.


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