Tinder, dry conditions across the province are feeding the flames in three out of control wildfires burning in the central and northern parts of Alberta.
Two major blazes are burning near Lodgepole and Boyle. And at least one family in the Grasslands area has already lost their summer home.
Two machine shops have also been destroyed by fire, and as of Monday afternoon fire officials in the province said there were more than fifty wildfires burning in all.
The Boyle area fire forced some rural residences to be evacuated and officials closed Hwy 63 from Hwy 55 north to Wandering River.
At least 40 crew members, along with 12 pieces of heavy equipment operators were battling the fire.
Firefighters also spent the day trying to contain a wildfire burning near the Lodgepole community located southwest of Drayton Valley.
Crews did manage to make some headway on the blaze, and as of Monday, it was around 70 per cent contained.
The fire has also come very close to some homes, and around 55 families in the area remain on evacuation notice.
"Our house is right there. Everything we own is in there," said residents Chris and Noel Hesselbarth.
Many of the crews battling this fire remember what happened a year ago in Slave Lake when devastating wildfires destroyed about one-third of the town.
"A lot of us have friends and co-workers that were affected by that, so it's definitely something that weighs heavily," said team leader Stephen Mills.
David Yurdija is an Athabasca County Reeve he says crews in the affected areas have been doing everything possible to prevent any more loss of property.
"We lost two shops and a summer home, so it is tragic, but we're doing what we can to protect all the other homes that are in the way of the fire." Yuridija told CTV News.
Firefighters are having problems getting the larger blazes under control due to weather conditions but Wildfire Information Officer Geoffrey Driscoll says workers are doing their best.
"It's going to be a challenge with the hot and dry conditions mixed with the winds, but we have some of the best firefighters in the world here and they will do their best to contain the fires as soon as possible." Driscoll told CTV News Monday.
It is not know for sure what started two of the major fires, but according to officials the out of control fire in the Grassland area was sparked by an ATV. This has already led to talk of an ATV riding ban during times of extreme fire danger.
With files from Sean Amato
