East Prairie Métis Settlement 'not out of the woods yet' after wildfire destruction

A view of some of the wildfire damage at East Prairie Métis Settlement on May 10, 2023. Decades of his family memories and keepsakes are gone, levelled by the wildfire that destroyed at least 14 occupied homes, including his, in East Prairie Métis Settlement, around 165 kilometres east of Grande Prairie, Alta. East Prairie Métis Settlement council member Reva Jaycox said Wednesday that a bridge was partially burnt, and dozens of power poles will need to be fixed. Once the wildfire was bearing down on East Prairie Métis Settlement, he said he and other community members did what they could to stop it, but it wasn't enough. In East Prairie Métis Settlement, there are still wildfire hot spots nearby, and Jaycox said that's fuelling fears about the fire sparking back up under the expected hot, dry conditions.