FORT MCMURRAY, Alberta, May 6 (UPI) — A police-led convoy of about 1,500 vehicles were on the move in northwest Canada Friday not far from Fort McMurray, where thousands continue to seek shelter from the fallout of one of the most devastating wildfires in the country’s history.
Evacuees who fled north of the city just a few days ago have had to move again to shelters in Edmonton and Calgary. The evacuee vehicles, 50 at a time, navigated the main road through Fort McMurray Friday, but were not allowed to stop there to survey damages to residents’ homes.
Helicopters also hovered overhead the convoy and police roadblocks were set up to ensure no vehicles slipped out of the line of traffic.
RELATED Thursday: More than 200K acres burned; some blazes ‘out of control’; evacuees forced to flee again
“What we’re trying to do is encourage them to go to the two major centers, because that’s where we have the greatest number of services, both in terms of health, income support, mental health support as well as the capacity to absorb the students into the school system,” Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said.
The mass movements follow days of perilous chaos in Alberta, where the blaze has destroyed nearly 2,000 homes and forced the evacuation of about 90,000 people — more than the entire population of Fort McMurray.
What’s more, the blaze is still far from containment. Friday, officials said the firecould double in size by the end of Saturday — and that residents won’t be able to live in Fort McMurray again “for some time.”
The provincial government of Alberta on Friday pledged $100 million to help residents who have been displaced by the fire.
More than 1,000 fire fighters and 150 helicopters, 300 pieces of heavy equipment and more than two dozen air tankers have been battling the flames, federal officials said Friday.
The McMurray fire is one of the largest and most dangerous in the country’s history. Officials said earlier this week that the wildfire-induced evacuations are the largest ever in Canada.
The massive blaze began growing to historic proportions Wednesday, when localresidents were first encouraged to head to shelters north and south of Fort McMurray. Later, the evacuations became mandatory.
Residents were temporarily allowed back to their homes, until they were evacuated for the second time in three days on Thursday when portions of the wildfire again posed an elevated safety risk. The initial fire had branched off to spark dozens of others, some of which officials said were out of control.
The fire grew from about 8,000 acres Tuesday to more than 25,000 Wednesday and then 200,000 acres Thursday. Friday, officials said the fire’s reach neared 250,000 acres — or close to 400 square miles, which is the size of Hawaii’s Molokai and Lānaii islands combined.
Among those involved in the unprecedented evacuation were students at Father Turcotte Elementary School in Fort McMurray. Principal Lisa Hilsenteger said she was forced to load 15 children and some teachers on a school bus and trek out of town at the last minute. They made a near 18-hour journey away from danger to eventually meet with parents.
“We had all these children. [Some] of my children were very special needs. They never complained. They never cried. They never asked for food. They never asked for water,” she said.
