Slave Lake fires Canada's 2nd costliest disaster
CBC News
Posted: Jul 5, 2011 5:57 PM MT
Last Updated: Jul 5, 2011 6:20 PM MT
This car was burned during the wildfires that swept through Slave Lake, Alta., on May 15, 2011. (CBC)
Insured damages from the Slave Lake, Alta., fires have hit $700 million so far, making it the second costliest disaster in Canadian history, the Insurance Bureau of Canada said Tuesday.
Wildfires ripped through the community 280 kilometers north of Edmonton on May 15, destroying one-third of the town.
Only the ice storm that hit Quebec and Ontario in 1998 caused more damage — $1.8 billion.
Several thousand claims have been filed so far for homes, cars and businesses that were damaged in Slave Lake.
"The scale of the destruction to homes and property is incredible," said Doug Noble, Insurance Bureau of Canada vice-president for Alberta and the North, in a news release. "It's devastating for those who have been affected."
Prince William and his wife Kate will visit Slave Lake Wednesday to meet with firefighters and people who lost their homes in the fires.
Share Tools
Latest Edmonton News Headlines
- Artist captures chalk notes to inmates
- New exhibit focuses on sidewalk messages left by friends and family of those locked up in the Edmonton Remand. more »
- Accused in blast that killed Alberta mom handled her funds
- The man charged with the first-degree murder of a disabled Alberta woman was her financial adviser, according to the victim's sister. more »
- Search continues for man on Lake Wabamun
- RCMP continued the search Sunday for a man who disappeared into Lake Wabamun while tubing with friends. more »
- Canadian Pacific strikers face back-to-work legislation
- Labour Minister Lisa Raitt is prepared to end the Canadian Pacific Railway strike if necessary, after both CP and the union rejected a proposal for voluntary arbitration by the government-appointed negotiator on Sunday. Raitt says she is "extremely disappointed." more »
Top News Headlines
- Canadian Pacific strikers face back-to-work legislation
- Labour Minister Lisa Raitt is prepared to end the Canadian Pacific Railway strike if necessary, after both CP and the union rejected a proposal for voluntary arbitration by the government-appointed negotiator on Sunday. Raitt says she is "extremely disappointed." more »
- Syrian regime denies role in Houla massacre
- The UN Security Council condemned the Syrian regime at an emergency meeting Sunday, holding president Bashar al-Assad's military responsible for the massacre of more than 100 people, dozens of whom were children younger than 10 years old. more »
- Ryder Hesjedal wins prestigious Giro d'Italia
- Victoria native Ryder Hesjedal has become the first Canadian to win one of the cycling world's three Grand Tour events, wrapping up the 2012 Giro d'Italia with an excellent performance in the final stage in Milan. more »
- Neighbour may have helped find missing kids in Mexico
- Two Winnipeg children who had been missing for nearly four years were found in Mexico after a man raised concerns about his neighbour, according to a private investigator. more »
- Occupy Edmonton rallies in solidarity with Quebec students
- Accused in blast that killed Alberta mom handled her funds
- Artist captures chalk notes to inmates
- Search continues for man on Lake Wabamun
- Candle cause of south side fire
- Man dead after crash near Drayton Valley
- Renovation reveals mysteries of building's past
- Second man charged in apartment killing
- Oil spill clean-up underway in northern Alberta
