Status of Wabasca Fire

[Drewski Canuck]

Hearing some scary things from Calling Lake. Most of the people from Wabasca were evacuated there. A lot of people pulled whatever they could when they left, and there are trailers parked all sorts of places at Calling lake. Estimated from one neighbor was 1000 people, but that is a guess.

Anyone know what is going on up at Wabasca? Winds should not be too bad, but it is hot and dry.

Drewski

[catnthehat]

Just heard on the radio that Wabasca and Bigstone Cree Nation have been ordered to evacuate to Calling Lake!
Cat

[MooseRiverTrapper]

Huge party at the calling lake Rec Center tonight boys!!!

[Drewski Canuck]

Not the first time Wab evacuated to Calling Lake.

Happened a few years ago. The "Boys" where chaperoned by about 40 RCMP Constables who kept them very in line.

Everyone behaved, and funny thing is, they left to go home as soon as they could.

As for emergency services, and the housing and food, the community came together and volunteers where using the commercial kitchen to cook for everyone.

Everyone could get a shower at the Rec Centre, and there was entertainment and games for the kids at the youth centre.

Drewski

[LSLAKER]

Originally Posted by MooseRiverTrapper

Huge party at the calling lake Rec Center tonight boys!!!

This sounds like a very ignorant comment having been made by what has to be an ignorant person.

Drewski Canuck,s comment "Happened a few years ago. The "Boys" where chaperoned by about 40 RCMP Constables who kept them very in line." is equally an ignorant comment having been made by what has to be an ignorant person as well.

[MooseRiverTrapper]

Originally Posted by LSLAKER

This sounds like a very ignorant comment having been made by what has to be an ignorant person.

Drewski Canuck,s comment "Happened a few years ago. The "Boys" where chaperoned by about 40 RCMP Constables who kept them very in line." is equally an ignorant comment having been made by what has to be an ignorant person as well.

Hey now quit being ignorant LS

[Albertadiver]

I spent two years working up there. Very rough town. Hope all are safe.

[chris762]

Here in Athabasca the AG Center is open for evacuee's, and everything is getting covered in ashes from the sky, like a light snowfall.

[jstubbs]

Originally Posted by chris762

Here in Athabasca the AG Center is open for evacuee's, and everything is getting covered in ashes from the sky, like a light snowfall.

Holy crap. I heard on the radio that ashes were falling but didn’t see any in Edmonton this morning.

[260 Rem]

Lots of smoke just east of Edm. Visibility probably under 2K.

[Drewski Canuck]

Originally Posted by LSLAKER

This sounds like a very ignorant comment having been made by what has to be an ignorant person.

Drewski Canuck,s comment "Happened a few years ago. The "Boys" where chaperoned by about 40 RCMP Constables who kept them very in line." is equally an ignorant comment having been made by what has to be an ignorant person as well.

Well LSLAKER, have you ever been to Wabasca Provincial Court? I have been many many times.

The past Seargent, Buddy Quant, gave me a run down about how it is the busiest per capita detachment for investigations in Western Canada. How they have a very high incident of illegal drug use and violent crimes per capita being some of the highest in Alberta, how property crime is rampant, and how there are a large number of LEO assaults per capita than other locations in Alberta, and how difficult it was to keep RCMP members in Wabasca because of a certain group of residents.

So yes, "the boys" were kept in check a few years ago when the garbage dump burned at Wabasca and spread into the bush. The MD 17 Emergency Services plan was activated, and part of the plan included a strong Police presence.

There was zero tolerance for alcohol and drug consumption, for fighting, for property trespass, for theft, etc during the evacuation to Calling Lake last time.

So there you go LSLAKER, you now are less ignorant about the crime problems in Wabasca from some very bad characters who were evacuated to Calling Lake last time, and why the RCMP presence was so high last time, and will be again this time.


Drewski

[Albertadiver]

Originally Posted by Drewski Canuck

Well LSLAKER, have you ever been to Wabasca Provincial Court? I have been many many times.

The past Seargent, Buddy Quant, gave me a run down about how it is the busiest per capita detachment for investigations in Western Canada. How they have a very high incident of illegal drug use and violent crimes per capita being some of the highest in Alberta, how property crime is rampant, and how there are a large number of LEO assaults per capita than other locations in Alberta, and how difficult it was to keep RCMP members in Wabasca because of a certain group of residents.

So yes, "the boys" were kept in check a few years ago when the garbage dump burned at Wabasca and spread into the bush. The MD 17 Emergency Services plan was activated, and part of the plan included a strong Police presence.

There was zero tolerance for alcohol and drug consumption, for fighting, for property trespass, for theft, etc during the evacuation to Calling Lake last time.

So there you go LSLAKER, you now are less ignorant about the crime problems in Wabasca from some very bad characters who were evacuated to Calling Lake last time, and why the RCMP presence was so high last time, and will be again this time.


Drewski

RCMP is just wrapping up a large expansion to the detachment there. It's much larger than most detachments with a similar population. There's a reason for it!

[Scott h]

Originally Posted by LSLAKER

This sounds like a very ignorant comment having been made by what has to be an ignorant person.

Drewski Canuck,s comment "Happened a few years ago. The "Boys" where chaperoned by about 40 RCMP Constables who kept them very in line." is equally an ignorant comment having been made by what has to be an ignorant person as well.

You are calling the statements ignorant, but that doesn't mean that they are inaccurate.......

[Drewski Canuck]

Chipewyan Lake, which is NE of Wabasca, is being evacuated right now.

Fire is racing to the townsite at Chipewyan Lake and could cut off the only road in and out.

They are also being sent to Calling Lake for evacuation.

No rain in the forecast and the fire fighting crews are all tied up everywhere else.

Calling Lake has a Wildland firefighting training base and has heli attack crews there and the MD has a number of water trucks at Calling Lake as well.

Lets hope that these fires can be kept in check.

Drewski

[LSLAKER]

You painted everyone from Wabasca with the same brush with your racist statement "Happened a few years ago. The "Boys" where chaperoned by about 40 RCMP Constables who kept them very in line."

Just because you have some kind of a connection with Wabasca doesn't mean that others like myself don't.

It was stupid of you to have made such a statement and just why? Did you want to show off to others how informed you may think you are about Wabasca. You should apologize for having made the comment.

There are many good hard working people living in Wabasca and you just ridiculed and smeared them and their community.

[Drewski Canuck]

And how is a description of "the boys" at all racist?

"The boys" as described are the habitual trouble makers and criminals, and there are many in Wabasca.

You are the one who is labeling the criminal element in Wabasca with ethnic identity, whatever that ethnicity or race may be.

So apologize to who? Are Wabasca residents now an ethnic group such that I am being racist to them?

Do you even know what the word "racist" means?

Are "the boys" a separate ethnic group, or are they an element of citizens?

Does "habitual Criminal" have an ethnic identity in your mind such that I should feel sympathy to them, and why?

Yes there are hard working people in Wabasca, and everywhere else. There are alot of habitual criminals in Wabasca, and the statistics clearly support this.

No need to apologize to habitual Criminals, no matter what the race, creed, or ethnicity where ever they live.

If you fall into the category of habitual Criminal, I need not apologize to you, wherever you come from.

Drewski

[Purple Farmer]

I hope everyone is ok and no lives are lost.

Lslaker I think you have overreacted, sometimes when we put passion ahead of reason we tend to do that. Moose's comment was insensitive to the overall situation, but, I believe meant to be humerous. Drewski's comments were born from first hand experience. None of those comments were racist.

Take some time away from AO it will do you good.

[ReconWilly]

Originally Posted by Drewski Canuck

And how is a description of "the boys" at all racist?

"The boys" as described are the habitual trouble makers and criminals, and there are many in Wabasca.

You are the one who is labeling the criminal element in Wabasca with ethnic identity, whatever that ethnicity or race may be.

So apologize to who? Are Wabasca residents now an ethnic group such that I am being racist to them?

Do you even know what the word "racist" means?

Are "the boys" a separate ethnic group, or are they an element of citizens?

Does "habitual Criminal" have an ethnic identity in your mind such that I should feel sympathy to them, and why?

Yes there are hard working people in Wabasca, and everywhere else. There are alot of habitual criminals in Wabasca, and the statistics clearly support this.

No need to apologize to habitual Criminals, no matter what the race, creed, or ethnicity where ever they live.

If you fall into the category of habitual Criminal, I need not apologize to you, wherever you come from.

Drewski

STANDING OVATION!!!

Take a bow.

[Albertadiver]

Bottom line, we hope that all stay safe up there. Slave Lake just got put on an 8hr evacuation standby notice. For those that went through the previous fire I'm sure the anxiety levels are very high for those evacuated or on standby.

[Sooner]

Originally Posted by Albertadiver

Bottom line, we hope that all stay safe up there. Slave Lake just got put on an 8hr evacuation standby notice. For those that went through the previous fire I'm sure the anxiety levels are very high for those evacuated or on standby.

Agree


Not to derail but we have not had any storms etc, do they know if these new fires are from lightning or human activity?

Scary to think in a week ish we now have a swath of fires going across the north part of the province.

[Grizzly Adams]

Any idea how many of these fires are human caused ?? Double bummer if they were preventable.

Grizz

[Albertadiver]

Edit: Slave is now on a 2hr warning. These winds are NOT good.

[Red Bullets]

I just posted a thread on the smoke and health concerns. This interactive website tracks the wind. Has many layers you can show including CO2 concentrations.
https://www.windy.com/-Show-add-more...966,-110.742,6

[WhiteTailAB]

Not good at all.

[sourdough doug]

Originally Posted by Sooner

Agree


Not to derail but we have not had any storms etc, do they know if these new fires are from lightning or human activity?

Scary to think in a week ish we now have a swath of fires going across the north part of the province.

One only has to look at where some of those fires started from, to answer that one...I was in Wab the other day and it is quite evident where that one started.
Have many, many friends there that are now on the run..I know how they feel having been in the middle of 15, May, 2011.

[Sooner]

Originally Posted by sourdough doug

One only has to look at where some of those fires started from, to answer that one...I was in Wab the other day and it is quite evident where that one started.
Have many, many friends there that are now on the run..I know how they feel having been in the middle of 15, May, 2011.

I hear ya on that. Sad to see.

[johng]

Originally Posted by sourdough doug

One only has to look at where some of those fires started from, to answer that one...I was in Wab the other day and it is quite evident where that one started.
Have many, many friends there that are now on the run..I know how they feel having been in the middle of 15, May, 2011.

care to elaborate?

[Twisted Canuck]

Hope it works out ok for you Doug. My sister and her daughters bailed today early, on the way to Edmonton. Their house was one of the first to go in May '11. Rebuilt and right back in danger on the east side of town. Her husband and son were working at mill, but I think they may book out tonight too.....hopefully this isn't version 2.0 for Slave.

And my wife's brother had to get out of his place not far from the Ferry at Tompkins yesterday, as the fire jumped the Peace River there. They got their dogs and horses out, had to leave cattle. Fire was 500 m or so away when they high tailed it, still not sure if their place burned or not, but doesn't sound good. What a **** show season for fires, hot, dry, and wind changing directions hourly it seem....stay safe, people!

[Bushleague]

Originally Posted by Albertadiver

Bottom line, we hope that all stay safe up there. Slave Lake just got put on an 8hr evacuation standby notice. For those that went through the previous fire I'm sure the anxiety levels are very high for those evacuated or on standby.

Yes, anxiety levels were high to say the least. From what I saw today, the amazingly calm, orderly, and above all safe manner that Slave Lake was evacuated the last time around is not likely to happen again. Yes, there were ashes floating around, yes Martin Beach got evacuated, and yes visibility was down to around 300 yards at some points today... but on the whole I was a little embarrassed at how worked up many people were getting.

[Bushleague]

Originally Posted by Albertadiver

Edit: Slave is now on a 2hr warning. These winds are NOT good.

To the best of my knowledge Slave Lake only ever made it to a 6hr warning, Martin Beach was on 2hr and did get evacuated. The winds have been out of the north west, so given my understanding of the general position of these fires I think it is unlikely that Slave Lake will be in any real danger any time soon. The mills out in Mitsue however know that they could have problems... and particularly at this point in time, if any of those mills burned down it would be an extremely hard blow to the area.