Wildfire rages in Fort McMurray as evacuees settle in Edmonton

Fire officials battling araging wildfire in Fort McMurray, Alta., are braced for another hot, dry and windy day,warning that the situationcould beas bad or worse than the day before, when whole neighbourhoods burned down and the entire city was evacuated.

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With strong winds likely to fuel the fire, thousands ofresidents have fled the city and up to 20,000 evacuees areexpected to arrive in Edmonton.

One of them is Tamara Wolfe, whose home is in the Beacon Hill neighbourhood, one of the hardest-hit areas.

It took her family eighthours to reach the safety of an evacuation camp Tuesday night. By morning, they were headed for Edmonton.

Wolfe is certain her home on Beacon Hill Drive is gone. It was near a Super 8 Motel that burned down, and a Shell gas station that exploded.

"I'm in a state of shock," she said Wednesday. "At one point I couldn't cry if I wanted to. And the next minute, I'm bawling my eyes out.

"I had 40 years of stuff in that house, and family memories, that's the hardest part.Things are replaceable, but not everything is replaceable."

Largest wildfire evacuation in Alberta history

8 years ago

Duration 3:45

Wildfire rages in Fort McMurray as evacuees settle in Edmonton

While Wolfewas on the highway, in Fort McMurray,regional fire Chief Darby Allen said Wednesday that the situationcould be even more devastating. He saidcrews are worried about the wind, especially if it changes direction during the day.

Allen said the focus Tuesday was to get residents out of the community to keep them safe. On Wednesday, efforts will be focused on fighting the blaze and protecting critical infrastructure, including the bridge that spans the Athabasca River and links the two sides of the city.

Late Tuesday, provincial and fire officials reported that homes in several residential neighbourhoods in theoilsandscapital have been lost to fire.

They also warned that Wednesday would not necessarily be any easier.

"The worst of the fire is not over," saidBernie Schmitte, manager ofAlberta Agriculture and Forestry. "We're still faced with very high temperatures, low relative humidityand some strong winds."

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Robin Smith, press secretary for the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, said no buildings were on fire as of about 6 a.m.Smith saidthe focus for fire crews is to ensure no one is hurt and to prevent damage tocritical infrastructure, with a focus on protecting the neighbourhoods of Timberleaand Thickwood.

On Tuesday night, officials estimated thata total of 53,000 people had been forced to leave the city. But it is difficult to track firm numbers: Census data lists the city's population at near 80,000, but some of those people may only live there part-time.

Canada'sDefence MinisterHarjitSajjan, speaking at aconference in Germany, saidAlberta made an official request for assistance Tuesdaynight,andtheDepartment of National Defence would make all assetsavailable.

It was reported earlier that the federaldepartment may offer airlift and other transportation support forfirefighting, as well as logistical help.

Perhaps surprisingly, no major injuries have been reported. And Fort McMurray's critical infrastructure including the water treatment plant, waste water treatment plant, Highway 63and the Grant MacEwan Bridge remained intact Tuesday night.

Fort McMurray's only hospital, the Northern Lights Regional Health Centre, was evacuated Tuesday as flames approached from the Waterways neighbourhood.

A temperature inversion mid-Tuesday morning appeared to shift the tenor of the blazefrom one that appeared to be largely in control, to what the fire chief calleda "nasty, ugly" inferno.

Largest wildfire evacuation in Alberta history

By 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, the entire city was under a mandatory evacuation order in the largest wildfire evacuation in Alberta's history, far surpassing the Slave Lake fire that made international headlines five years ago.

Highway 63 heading south was clogged with vehicles by mid-afternoon. A tidal wave of pickups, cars, and trucks moved slowly south, sometimes with thick, swirling clouds overhead and flames licking the shrubs and trees adjacent to the highway.

Fort McMurray evacuated during massive wildfire

8 years ago

Duration 4:32

A huge wildfire has forced a mass evacuation of Fort McMurray, Alberta.

"It was horrible," said Amanda Statno, who arrived in Edmonton around 10 p.m. Tuesday.

"I'm from Toronto. So it's similar to driving in Toronto on the [Highway]401 at six o'clock except you're surrounded by flames, and you can't really see anything, and you don't want to roll down your window because you can't breathe."

Statno was at work in Fort McMurray earlier in the day when she looked out the window and saw flames coming up over a hill.

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Her neighbourhood was one of the last to be formally evacuated, she said, but she decided to leave town sooner. After arriving in Edmonton, she called three hotels until she found one that wasn't full and it was more expensive than she expected.

"We were kind of at the point where we just took it because where else are we going to go?" she said.

Statno was among the 20,000 people expected to arrive in Edmonton from Fort McMurray. Most of themare expected to stay with friends and family, but the City of Edmonton was to open a temporary reception centre at Northlands just after midnight Wednesday.

Gas pumps run dry as work camps fill up

Many motorists fleeingthe city were left stranded on the highway overnight.Alberta Transportationis escorting a fuel tanker to assist motorists.

The masses travelling out of the city left Fort McMurray with no gas as of Tuesday night.

"There's no more fuel in Fort McMurray and it's being drained as we go south," said Schmitte.

Other peopleheading southbound set up in Anzac and Lac La Biche. But when Highway 63 was closed for several hours on Tuesday evening, another stream of those forced from their homesheaded north to find temporary lodging at oilsands camps in the area.

"Realistically, we are seeing camps fill up. The camps closer to town have been filled," said Robin Smith, spokesman for the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. "People are pushing on toward Syncrude[further north]."

By the end of the night, several oilsands operations north of Fort McMurray and the Fort McKay First Nation, about 65kilometresnorth, had opened spaces to people who have been forced out of their homes.Still, manyhad not found a bed to sleep in by late Tuesday night.

Priorities included establishing lodging, identifying and confirming the location of residentsand assisting stranded people.

"Everyone here has given everything today to do the very best they could. We'll continue to do the very best for you," said Allen, the fire department chief. "We appreciate some of you have lost property, we have people working here who have lost property, too."

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