The Alberta government has announced that residents of fire-ravaged Fort McMurray could begin returning home as early as June 1 if conditions are deemed safe.
“We know that people want to return home as soon as it is safe to do so and that is what we are working towards,” Alberta Premier Rachel Notley told reporters on Wednesday afternoon.
Over the past two weeks, more than 80,000 people have been evacuated from the northern Alberta city that sits in the heart of Canada’s economically vital oilsands: the third largest oil reserve in the world. Thanks to the work of firefighters, roughly 90 per cent of the city remains intact.
Re-entry, Notley said, will be voluntary and done in stages, with the city’s least-affected areas being repopulated first. Full re-entry, Notley added, should be completed by June 15. Notley promised that those whose homes were lost will receive government help.
The premier outlined five conditions that must be met before re-entry can begin: the wildfire must no longer threaten the community, critical infrastructure such as access to electricity and essential services such as emergency medical care must be restored to basic levels, hazardous areas must be secured and local government must be re-established.
“If conditions change, as they did just this week, the voluntary re-entry may begin later,” Notley added. "Remember, many hazards remain in Fort McMurray. We need to address all of them before it is safe for residents to begin to return.”
Notley’s announcement came as the northern Alberta wildfire dramatically increased in size on Wednesday. Fanned by gusting winds and fuelled by low humidity, the blaze is now nearing the Saskatchewan border.
“It’s nearly doubled in size over the last two days,” Travis Fairweather, a wildfire information officer for the province of Alberta, told CTV News Channel earlier on Wednesday. “With a fire like this, it’s very unpredictable… We hate to say it, but kind of anything is possible.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, the flames have scorched more than 4,228 square kilometres – an area almost seven times the size of the sprawling city of Toronto. With thousands of structures already destroyed in Alberta, Saskatchewan authorities now say the fire is nearly five kilometres away from the provincial boundary and will likely keep burning eastward.
“If it’s not there already, it’s definitely getting close,” Fairweather said.
The nearest Saskatchewan communities, such as La Loche, are about 40 kilometres away. Alberta officials have previously stated that a 655-unit oilsands work camp north of Fort McMurray had been destroyed by flames and that other camps in the area remain at risk.
While weather in the region remains dry with westerly winds of 20 to 40 kilometres per hour, Environment Canada is forecasting at least four days of rain beginning Wednesday night: a welcome respite for the 1,900 firefighters currently battling the blaze.
Appearing alongside Notley at Wednesday’s press conference, MLA Brian Jean, the leader of Alberta’s opposition, choked back tears as he described the arduous work ahead.
“We will rebuild our city and it will be better than ever,” the Fort McMurray—Athabasca representative said. “I will have my tool belt on and my shovel in my hand and we will clean it up and rebuild it.”
With files from The Canadian Press, CTV Edmonton and CTV Calgary.
