The Premier of Alberta has confirmed that 1,600 structures have been damaged or destroyed in Fort McMurray and an estimated 88,000 people have been evacuated, but the situation is expected to worsen.
There have been no reports of any deaths or injuries as a result of the wildfire, which is now 75,000 hectares in size. The firefighters on the scene have been able to put out all the structure fires within the city of Fort McMurray and the focus is now on the fire situation threatening nearby neighbourhoods.
The local hospital was evacuated late Tuesday evening with the help of WestJet. It took two hours to evacuate the 105 patients and clients from the building including nine babies from the neonatal unit. Staff has also been evacuated from the hospital and a total of 92 hotel rooms have been reserved for staff in Edmonton as they try to reconnect and with family members. As of Wednesday, officials confirm that the hospital is still standing.
Oil and gas camps north of Fort McMurray are currently housing thousands of evacuees as they have adequate supplies and food. Travel is not advised on Highway 63 or Highway 881 due to heavy smoke and fire. Only emergency travel is allowed.
Premier Rachel Notley will tour the emergency operations centre Wednesday afternoon and the municipality. Alberta Emergency official Scott Long confirms that the majority of damage has been to residences, but that could change on Wednesday. As of Wednesday morning the downtown was still standing and undamaged. Experts are planning for the worst as changing winds could see damage to the airport or Gregoire neighbourhood.
Pretty devastating watching the flames come and knowing that there is nothing you can do to stop them #ymmfire pic.twitter.com/54nOcPDN9l
— Jason Petrock (@JPetrock87) May 4, 2016
There is no information to indicate that people are refusing to evacuate the area, and on Tuesday 15 people were cut off because of the fire, but they were helicoptered out of the area. Because of the strong winds, officials are fearing the worst, a significant portion of the community could be lost as a result of fire movement on Wednesday. To make matters worse, the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo issued a boil water advisory for the entire region including camps.
Canadians who want to help those affected by the fires are asked to donate directly to the Canadian Red Cross. The Alberta government will be matching donations dollar for dollar. The organization is asking people to give monetary donations rather than items at this time. Reception centres in Edmonton and other areas are not accepting donations at this time and people are directed to the Red Cross instead. People can simply text the word REDCROSS to 30333 to give a $5 donation.
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