Senators defenceman Chris Phillips is among Ottawa residents with ties to Fort McMurray who are anxiously awaiting word from family and friends as a raging wildfire has forced 60,000 people out of the Alberta city.

Phillips, who is originally from the northern Alberta community, which is under an evacuation order, told CBC Ottawa's Hillary Johnstone that he felt "helpless" as he saw images on television and social media of his burning hometown.

Phillips's sister, her husband and her three young children were forced to flee the Timberlea neighbourhood on Tuesday evening as the fire approached.

"It's really tough to watch. We grew up in Beacon Hill … and that area up there is getting it really bad right now. A lot of homes are gone already," Phillips said on Tuesday evening.

He spoke with his sister on the phone briefly as she packed up her truck with her family and left their home.

"To be brutally honest, [it was] not a great conversation," Phillips said.

"The kids were crying, and very upset and scared. So obviously tough for them, but not knowing exactly how they're doing is scary on our end, too."

'It's really tough to watch,' Ottawa Senators defenceman Chris Phillips, originally from Fort McMurray, says about the wildfire that has forced his sister, her family and tens of thousands of others out of their homes. (Jana Chytilova/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images)

Residents 'skeptical' their homes will survive

Wildfire Update - May 4, 4 a.m. <br>Residential damage assessment (approximate) <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ymmfire?src=hash">#ymmfire</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ymm?src=hash">#ymm</a> <a href="https://t.co/X8t2Fr3NF8">pic.twitter.com/X8t2Fr3NF8</a> —@RMWoodBuffalo

That feeling of helplessness was echoed by Carleton Place, Ont., resident Kyle Coady.

His brother, sister-in-law and their two young children also live in Fort McMurray.

Coady said his brother sent him "shocking" photos from the highway as they tried to make their way south to Edmonton.

"They're driving and there's fire on the side of the road, extremely thick smoke," Coady told CBC News. "And when they're trying to … drive it's very low visibility."

Coady said his brother made it out of Fort McMurray safely, but he added he's "extremely skeptical that he'll have a house to go back to."