The city says it can’t accept any more evacuees at the Edmonton Expo Centre.
In a press release Friday night, City of Edmonton officials announced registration of new evacuees was being closed “starting immediately” due to limited hotel capacity in Edmonton.
The city says, since Aug. 18, more than 6,000 evacuees have registered at the Edmonton Emergency Reception Centre and more than 3,100 have been placed in local hotels.
“This is more than double the number originally planned for,” the release read.
“Ensuring that evacuees have access to safe and comfortable lodging is a priority. While the reception centre has emergency cots available, non-group settings, such as hotels, are important for maintaining good mental health and wellbeing during this stressful time.”
New evacuees are being asked to head to other centres that are not at capacity. A list of available reception centres can be found here.
The city says The Expo Centre will be providing food, clothing, pet daycare and health services only to registered evacuees but there will be some services available to people passing through.
“Should any evacuees need to stop in Edmonton on the way to an alternate reception centre, they can stop by the EXPO Centre for food, clothing and a place to rest,” it said in the release.
The evacuation centre in Red Deer is also at capacity.
As of Aug. 21, approximately 25,900 people have been forced from their homes in the Northwest Territories due to wildfires. That is around 68 per cent of the territory’s population.