Alberta wildfires: 25 homes destroyed in Yellowhead County as Edson residents return home

evacuation order from Marlboro to the Chip Lake area including the town of Edson was lifted at 8 a.m. Monday and the Yellowhead Highway from Hinton to Edson reopened.“I’m happy to be home,” Bill Lyons said.

He said the last several days “haven’t been horrible but you know, it’s just nice to be home.”For many, it marks the end of three consecutive mornings waking up in parking lots, hotel rooms, on cots in community gyms and on the hard ground in a dome of nylon tenting.“Two nights in the tent.

We finally got a hotel room,” said Lindsay Austin, surrounded by his four children and a myriad of furry friends. “It will be nice to sleep in a bed … It’s been a little nerve-wracking.”“I want to be at home.

I’m worried about what’s going on,” said 17-year-old Lakaia Austin. “There’s been no settling.”Shuttle busses will be available to transport people from evacuation centres in both Jasper and Hinton.Drivers are being encouraged to stagger their re-entry plans to avoid the bumper-to-bumper gridlock experienced during the evacuation.The mayor cautioned it’s going to take time to get services up and running again including grocery stores, gas stations and the hospital, which was completely emptied of people on Friday.“We got up early at around 6:30 and decided to go back as soon as they let us,” said gas station owner Gurman Brar. “We came back and started opening the store.”A new reception centre has been set up in Edson.“There is still a lot of smoke in the area.