Nordegg residents were happy to celebrate the May long weekend in their own homes.
An evacuation order was lifted on Friday and by that evening Nancy Vermette and her three cats were back in her home and getting ready for the six house guests who were descending on her for a weekend of quad riding.
All looked good when she came home, said Vermette, who is one of the few full-time residents.
“You’d never know there was a problem.”
Residents had been told not to worry about any fire retardant they may encounter because it’s non-toxic, but Vermette says she has seen no sign of the stuff or any smoke traces around town.
Residents remain on a two-hour evacuation alert, but Vermette said the fire situation seems well in hand and she’s not expecting to have to pack up again.
Evidence that there is still firefighting to be done can be seen above where a pair of helicopters were going back and forth dropping loads of water.
The weather has been cooler and they got a little rain on Sunday morning, she said.
“We got a little. It kind of dampened things down. It’s very pleasant right now.
“It doesn’t feel like it’s super dry and there are no big winds, so that’s good for the firefighters.”
Uncertainty about the fire situation kept many visitors from coming out to the area.
“It’s sad. It’s long weekend and a lot of people have stayed away.”
At Upper Shunda Creek Campground, business was unusually slow, said Linda Latter, who operates it with husband Gordon.
“(The fire) kind of ruined it for the camping,” said Latter.
“The long weekend is pretty much a write-off. Instead of 30 units, we had like five units or something.
“They’re running the choppers today because they’re probably going to be digging out hot spots for the next little while. But we’re not in any kind of danger. You can’t even smell smoke today.”
Latter understands campers’ caution, but she said it’s important to get the word out that the danger has passed and the area is open for business again and visitors are welcome.
“There’s no fire ban so everything’s good to go.”
Often the news of a fire gets a lot of attention, but people aren’t as aware when the situation is back to normal, she said.
“As a town, we very much rely on the tourism for the different businesses.”
Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development reported on Sunday that the Nordegg fire was being held at about 770 acres.
On the weekend, Alberta had 25 wildfires burning, including two considered out of control. Five are being held, 14 under control, and four have been turned over to residents.
Since April 1, the province has recorded 302 wildfires which have burned about 4,900 acres.
Clearwater County Coun. Dick Wymenga joined enforcement officers at a Friday checkstop near Crimson Lake and took to the air on Sunday for a helicopter tour of the popular West Country spots.
The numbers of people heading out to the area were down by about a third, he estimated.
The publicity about the forest fires and the closure of the Forestry Trunk Road from Highway 11 to south of the North Saskatchewan River bridge and other trail closures likely contributed.
About 100 forestry staff, RCMP and other enforcement personnel were patrolling campgrounds, trails and roads throughout the weekend.
There was no word on Monday about the number of charges laid or any other problems. A tally is expected for Tuesday, said an RCMP spokesperson.
At Brewers Campground in Aspen Beach Provincial Park on Gull Lake, Gerry Thompson, his family and friends enjoyed the weather that turned out better than forecasters predicted.
Showers and thunderstorms predicted for later in the weekend didn’t make an appearance.
“It kind of spit here and there and that was about it. The wind picked up a little bit and then disappeared and we still managed to have our little badminton tournament.”
Nine-year-old daughter Teaghan and a teenage friend of the family even took the plunge under the water, which was too chilly for swimming for most.
“The beach wasn’t busy,” he said with a chuckle.
pcowley@www.reddeeradvocate.com