The wildfire near Fort McMurray has grown in size from 285,000 on Monday to a staggering 355,000 hectares in size as it continues to burn out of control.
Premier Rachel Notley provided an update Tuesday morning, confirming that two explosions took place in the city in two neighbourhoods Monday night, causing damage to 10 homes. The cause of the explosions are still under investigation, but officials confirm that some houses did burn as a result.
According to the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, the explosions took place in the area of Thickwood at Silin Forest Road and Dickinsfield. Three complexes were damaged, one fourplex was lost and three units damaged. A home on McConachie Cres. exploded and seven nearby homes were damaged.
More than 8,000 people have been evacuated from oilsands camps north of the city, most sent north. A number of evacuees were moved south but the majority were sent north for safety reasons. Many camps are being threatened by the wildfire, and the Blacksands Lodge has been completely destroyed. The lodge had 665 units.
Plans had been in place to allow retailers to return to the city, but those plans are now on hold due to the poor air quality in the region. Electricity has been restored to most homes and buildings in Fort McMurray, the Fort McMurray First Nation, and the community of Anzac. Gas service has been restored to approximately 60 per cent of the city.
Firefighters are expecting yet another challenging day as the temperature is expected to reach 25 C with wind gusts up to 35 km/hr. The fire appears to be moving east, away from many northern camps and those who have been evacuated, but some facilities are still being threatened. Noralta Lodge and Poplar Creek are both threatened at this time, but both locations have been safely evacuated.
On Monday, eight new fires started. There are currently 19 fires burning in the province, five of those are out of control. Two fires have been turned over to authorities for further investigation. Hot spots remain in the city and it is still unsafe for re-entry.
It is still unknown when residents will be able to return back for Fort McMurray as both air quality and fire danger remains a concern.
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