The wildfire that forced the evacuation of Fort McMurray two weeks ago has grown again, burning through an oilsands work camp and threatening two others on Wednesday.
Thousands of workers were bussed out of the Blacksand Executive Lodge and, hours later, the wildfire destroyed the camp, consuming 665 buildings.
Wildfire officials reported on Wednesday afternoon that the fire has grown to approximately 422,898 hectares in size.
Meanwhile, the fire is still encroaching on a number of other work camps and major oilsands sites, including those owned by Suncor and Syncrude.
The sites have already been evacuated, but officials are optimistic that the sites will come out unscathed.
“Oilsands sites have large fuel and vegetation breaks and are very resilient to wildfires,” said Chad Morrison with Alberta Wildfire. “Obviously, their industry firefighting resources are ready.”
There is also a wildfire danger remaining inside Fort McMurray, with two explosions reported in some neighbourhoods. More than ten homes were damaged in the incidents and resulting fires.
Officials say the fires were dealt with quickly, but ATCO crews have since halted their efforts to bring natural gas services back online for the community while the investigation is ongoing.
The danger also forced hundreds of workers in other areas of the city, including many people who were tasked with getting the hospital back online, to flee.
Despite the continuing hazards, fire crews say they can protect the remaining homes.
Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said the setbacks have forced officials to revisit their timeline to get Fort McMurray residents back home. Speaking at an Edmonton press conference on Tuesday, Notley said she hopes to have more specific re-entry plans “within the week.”
"Safety will be and must be our first and principle priority," she said.
The costs of the wildfire are still being added up as the blaze continues to burn, and the figures may not be as high as originally thought.
The Conference Board of Canada says that despite a projected billion dollar loss to the oil sector, the Canadian economy won’t suffer too badly.
The board also says that even Alberta will come out okay, thanks to a huge effort to rebuild, which is pegged at about $1.3B.
The province has also doled out $160M in funding to evacuees so they can buy needed supplies and much of that is being put right back into the provincial economy.
Forecasts are calling for a chance of rain on Thursday or Friday for the area, but the wildfire will remain unpredictable until a large amount of rain falls.
19 fires are burning in Alberta, with five of them currently out of control.
The province provided an update on the situation on Wednesday afternoon and said that people could start returning home on June 1 if conditions are deemed to be safe.
The premier said the re-entry will be voluntary and done in stages and that basic emergency, medical and other services like water and electricity must be available first.
“Many hazards remain in Fort McMurrary. We need to address them before it’s safe for residents to return home. We’ve developed a phased and voluntary re-entry plan with the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo that begins with the least damaged areas.” said Premier Rachel Notley.
Re-entry Schedule
• Zone 1 – Lower Townsite, Anzac
• Zone 2 (a) – Parsons Creek, Stone Creek, Timberlea North of Confederation
• Zone 2 (b) – Eagle Ridge, Timberlea south of Confederation, Dickensfield
• Zone 3 – Thickwood, Wood Buffalo
• Zone 4 (a) – Gregoire, Saprae Creek Estates
• Zone 4 (b) Waterways, Abasand, Beacon Hill
The province says schools in the area will not be holding classes until the fall.
Re-entry should be complete by June 15 but residents who lost homes to the fire will get a chance to inspect properties and collect items before the cleanup begins.
The re-entry schedule and details for residents will be available online HERE.
For more information on wildfires burning in Alberta, visit the Alberta government’s website.
(With files from CTVNews.ca)
