People have asked us how we make the decision to maintain the evacuation order. It’s a fair question, with a complex answer.

We hope everyone understands that we did not make the decision to evacuate lightly. These are big decisions, accompanied by many conversations and considerations, informed by our expert fire crews and analysts, incident commander, emergency services personnel, and other team members on the ground.

The fire remains just 1.5km from Edson. Our fire crews are doing an amazing job of keeping our community safe to date, but the risk is still very real.

We know this is a tough situation, compounded by the fact that it feels like we just went through this. We want everyone to come home as soon as possible, but not until it is safe to do so. That includes conversations about emergency medical services, food supplies, gas, and ensuring we have enough fire guards in place to protect the community as best as possible.

Thank you for your understanding, your support, and your words of encouragement. We’re all in this together.