2011 Slave Lake wildfire
The fire forced the complete evacuation of Slave Lake's 7,000 residents—considered the largest such displacement in the province's history at the time—to the nearby towns of Athabasca and Westlock, as well as the provincial capital of Edmonton.
The Canadian Red Cross and disaster relief agencies in Edmonton were inundated with donations—enough that they asked people to no longer make donations directly at the evacuation centres.
[8] The fire that struck Slave Lake started 15 kilometres (9 mi) east of town around 1:30 pm on Saturday, May 14, and grew to 500 hectares (1,200 acres) within three hours.
[13] However, a change in the winds, gusting to up to 100 kilometres per hour (60 mph), pushed the conflagrations past fire breaks and into town a short time later.
[14] Firefighters attempted a "last stand" in the east part of town, but were quickly overwhelmed by the heat and burning embers thrown forward by the blaze.
It was the second costliest disaster in Canadian history, at the time, topped only by the North American ice storm of 1998 which caused $1.8 billion in damages, adjusted for inflation to 2011 dollars.
[25] No casualties were reported amongst Slave Lake residents as a result of the fire, but a pilot was killed when his helicopter crashed while battling the blaze.
[26] Jean-Luc Deba, an experienced pilot from Montreal, died in the crash at Canyon Creek, 24 kilometres (15 mi) west of Slave Lake.
[28] By May 19, Mayor Karina Pillay-Kinnee met with evacuees, informing them that recovery efforts had begun, but that residents would not be able to return to Slave Lake until power, gas, phone service and access to drinkable water was restored.
[23][30] A week after the fire ravaged the town, provincial officials organized buses from the evacuation centres to allow residents to tour the damage.
Sustainable Resources Minister Frank Oberle stated, “the probable cause of the fire that burned more than 400 homes and other structures in Slave Lake was arson.”[41] Though officials have determined the place and method of ignition, they did not name any suspects.
The case is not being handled by the Slave Lake RCMP detachment; as 11 officers lost their homes, an outside investigative team was assigned for reasons of objectivity.
Another $15 million was set aside for residents without adequate insurance coverage or with limited financial capability, and would cover all housing costs for such people until August.
[42] Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Premier Ed Stelmach toured the town via helicopter and met with front-line firefighters a week after the fire.
[52] The three-day event, which averaged 3,000–5,000 fans per day, was headlined by Ashley MacIsaac, Dwight Yoakam, and The Stampeders and offered the community's residents an opportunity to relax in the midst of rebuilding efforts.
[53] On July 6, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Prince William and Catherine), visited the town to offer encouragement to residents and rebuilding efforts.
[54] Slave Lake residents expressed gratitude towards those who offered support to the community,[55] even as it continued to struggle through the aftermath and rebuilding efforts weeks later.
[56] On August 3, the Government of Alberta announced an additional $189 million in funding for rebuilding and disaster response in the Slave Lake area.
The funding was allocated to: a regional wildfire recovery plan; a disaster recovery program for the town, the municipal district, the Hamlet of Red Earth Creek, the Gift Lake Metis Settlement, and numerous nearby First Nations reserves; and an interim housing project to accommodate 350 interim homes for displaced residents and families of the town and the municipal district.
[57] On September 14, a second benefit concert, headlined by Paul Brandt and featuring High Valley, was held at the Winspear Centre in Edmonton.
