The video above is a drive through the aftermath of the Fort McMurray fire; Real Martin Drive, in Thickwood (Supplied)

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A wildfire in Fort McMurray has forced the evacuation of the entire community, including others areas south of the city. Firefighters are battling the out-of-control blaze, which has already destroyed homes and is threatening infrastructure.

7:30 p.m. — Financial aid measures being considered for evacuees

Premier Rachel Notley said evacuees should be prepared for a long waitbefore they can head home to Fort McMurray.



It’s not possible, nor responsible, to speculate when people can return home, she said, “but we do know it will not be a matter of days.”



While people may soon be able to retrieve valuables and assess damage, that will only happen once the area is safe.



Notley acknowledged that staying in evacuation centres, with friends, or with family, are not ideal solutions for the long term.



She said that the Capital Region Housing Corp. is taking stock of vacancies around the province to potentially house evacuees. The government has also reached out to the universities.



Cabinet will be discussing an income support plan Friday, with the hope it can roll out early next week. The option of preloaded debit cards is not off the table.



In 2011, following the Slave Lake fire, a government assistance program provided adults with $1,250 each, and children with $500 each, to spend as they see fit. The money was loaded onto prepaid debit cards, and handed out to evacuees who had registered with the Red Cross.



“Trust us that we have your back, that we will be there for you and support you along the way,” Notley said on Thursday.



In discussing some specifics of the fire, Notley said that the Fort McMurray water treatment plant went down briefly on Thursday. Experts from Red Deer are being flown in to ensure it continues to operate.



There are now more than 350 structural and wildfire firefighters on scene.



Chad Morrison from the wildfire branch said the fire did grow and move on Thursday, though that growth was not as bad as Wednesday’s situation. It’s now about three kilometres from Anzac.



Provincial officials also announced that about 4,000 evacuees who fled to work camps north of Fort McMurray were flown to either Edmonton or Calgary by late afternoon. Another 4,000 were expected to be airlifted by the end of the day, using a combination of WestJet and oilsands industry planes, as well as a military aircraft.



More flights are expected Friday from the work camps, but officials also hope to start moving people out in their own cars.



Plans calls for a fuel truck to head north of the Fort McMurray on late Thursday to refuel stranded vehicles. Then, at first light if conditions permit, RCMP will lead a convoy of 400 vehicles south on Highway 63 out of town.



The plan calls for the convoy to begin from a from a staging area near Shell’s Albian Sands operations. If the first convoy is successful, more are expected to follow.



An air tanker helping fight fires in Fort McMurray slid off an airport runway near Manning on Thursday.



“It looks like the plane made an emergency landing at around 4 p.m.,” said Kim Salter, a resident who lives 15 minutes from the airport. “I was driving by and I noticed a plane with its tail sticking up at the end of the runway, so I stopped to take some pictures.”



Alberta Premier Rachel Notley confirmed there were no fatalities as a result of the crash, and that the pilots were being evaluated be medical personnel.



The airport in Manning has been closed until further notice.



Manning is approximately 585 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.



6 p.m. — Premier Rachel Notley does broadcast to update the fire



In a live broadcast updating the wildfire situation, Premier Rachel Notley extended sympathies to the 88,000 displaced residents, who were ordered to flee to safety — but she stressed that their return to home will not be anytime soon.

Other information from the update, provided in a press release from the Government of Alberta

• A provincially declared state of emergency for the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo is in effect.

• Fire conditions remain extreme, with 18 new starts across Alberta yesterday. A total of 49 wildfires are burning, with seven considered out of control, 12 being held, 23 under control, and seven turned over to the responsible parties.

• Cooler temperatures of 16 C are predicted, but lower humidity and winds at 25 kilometres, gusting to 40 kilometres per hour, make weather a significant factor.

• More than 1,110 firefighters, 145 helicopters, 138 pieces of heavy equipment and 22 air tankers are fighting the fires.

• Mandatory evacuation orders are in place for Fort McMurray, Anzac, Gregoire Lake Estates, Fort McMurray First Nation and Mackenzie County near High Level. Residents of evacuated areas should not attempt to return home.

• Emergency gas and diesel are temporarily available along Highway 63.

Meanwhile, Edmonton’s Emergency Relief Services is quickly running out of relief items as wildfire evacuees made their way to the Edmonton EXPO Centre Thursday.

As of Thursday afternoon, they had completely run out of new pillows, new underwear for all ages and all sizes, and blankets.

“We literally went from having thousands to having nothing in a heartbeat,” said Nicole Geoffroy, Edmonton Emergency Relief Services spokesman. “We need those items as soon as possible, and as much as possible.”

Donations can be made at their downtown hub, 10255-104 Street, until 9 p.m. or at their southside location, at 6968-76 Ave, until 7 p.m.

5 p.m. — Entire province is now under fire ban

By Paige Parsons and Emma Graney

Extreme conditions prompted Edmonton to put a city-wide fire ban into effect Thursday morning, which was followed shortly by the announcement of a provincewide fire ban in the afternoon.

With tinder-dry conditions and a heat map awash with red for the majority of the province over the weekend, Environment Minister Shannon Phillips said it’s a precautionary step to do everything possible to avoid more fires.

“Nobody wants to be that person who starts another fire … that’s entirely preventable,” Phillips said Thursday afternoon.

Phillips also asked people to limit off-road recreational vehicle use, be extremely cautious when camping, and avoid throwing cigarettes out of windows.

The use of incendiary targets on Crown land has also been banned. Conservation officers will be out in force over the weekend, she said, and those who flout the ban can be fined.

Earlier in the day, Edmonton Fire Rescue Service Chief Ken Block said the situation up north was a factor in choosing to put the city under a fire ban.

“This is the right thing to do. We know what’s happening around us, especially in northern Alberta, and we certainly don’t want a situation like that within the city of Edmonton,” Block said.

Block said that May and June are typically the worst months of the year for grassfires, and that April already had a higher number of grassfires than normal. The wind and lack of precipitation have heightened the fire risk, and the foreseeable forecast is not favourable, he added.

“Fire Rescue Services measures metrics off of the fire weather index on a 24-hour basis … and conditions right now are falling into the extreme,” Block said.

A fire ban was also instated for St. Albert Thursday due to continuing “extremely dry conditions” across Alberta.

The City of St. Albert said the ban restricts fires everywhere within city boundaries and that all open recreational and residential fires are prohibited.

Gas barbecues are still permitted, as are fires in industrial sites that have been approved by the fire chief.

Breaching St. Albert’s ban could result in a fine of up to $10,000.

One of the ways that Edmonton Fire Rescue tries to increase public awareness of emergency preparedness is through sponsorship of Get Ready in the Park — an annual event that was to be held in Hawerelak Park on Saturday – designed to help Edmontonians prepare for emergencies. Block said the event has been cancelled because most of the agencies and services who participate are busy responding to the wildfire situation.

Continued below

4:25 p.m. — More Edmonton firefighters sent to the wildfire frontlines

Reported by Paige Parsons

Edmonton Fire Rescue has deployed another 36 firefighters to help in the Fort McMurray wildfire effort. Chief Ken Block said the extra bodies will allow the apparatuses to be manned 24 hours a day.

“I can tell you that the crews that are on the ground up there right now have been working very diligently. They’ve very, very busy. They’re absolutely fatigued and it’s important that we relieve them,” Edmonton Fire Chief Ken Block said, speaking to media at Fire Station 1 on Thursday.

On Tuesday morning, Edmonton sent 19 firefighters, two pumpers and two tankers to help out with the Fort McMurray fire, as well as a chief’s vehicle and some support vehicles.

Block said Edmonton can provide more firefighters, but that no more equipment is available because fire conditions in the capital region are extreme and crews here need to be ready.

Other reminders, bulletins and updates

Alberta RCMP are continuing to remind motorists that Highway 63 is impassable south of Fort McMurray

Evacuees are reminded that they only need to go to the reception centre at the Edmonton Expo centre if they need accomodations. If they are staying with friends or family, or have arranged other accomodation, they should not go to the reception centre.

They are, however, urged to contact the Red Cross family reunification centre (1-888-350-6070) or the Municipality of Wood Buffalo (wildfire@rmwb.ca) to confirm that they are safe. contact The City of Edmonton reception centre at Northlands UThe pdate on City’s support for Wood Buffalo evacuees

Approximately 1,200 evacuees forced out of their homes by the wildfires in Fort McMurray and the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo have registered at a City of Edmonton Reception Centre.

The city adds that although insurance representatives are on site at the reception centre, they are fully booked. Evacuees are advised to contact their own insurance company in alternate ways.

There will be two updates this afternoon from provincial government officials: at 4:30, Environment Minister Shannon Phillips and Forestry Minister Oneil Carlier will take about new measures to reduce fire risk; at 6:05 p.m., Premier Rachel Notley will update the status of the fire.

3:45 p.m. — City’s economy will take a temporary beating

Reported by Gordon Kent

The Fort McMurray forest fires could take a temporary bite out of Canada’s gross domestic product, but shouldn’t have much of a long-term impact, an economist said Thursday.

“There’s still a lot of uncertainty,” said Benjamin Reitzes, a senior economist with BMO Capital Markets. “I have seen reports that half a million barrels (of oil) a day are shut down. That could rise further.”

However, the major oilsands plants are mainly north of the city and many kilometres from the fire, so at this point they don’t seem to be in danger.

The main reason for production cuts is that evacuees are staying in company work camps or staff are dealing with the impact of the fire on their families and property.

Assuming this remains the case, Reitzes said there will likely be an immediate hit to gross domestic product (GDP), a measure of the monetary value of all the finished goods and services produced within the country.

After the Slave Lake fire in May 2011, the portion of monthly GDP attributed to oil and gas production dropped 4.8 per cent from April, and the impact of the bigger Fort McMurray disaster will likely be more significant, he said.

Based on that experience, there might not be any overall GDP growth this year for April to June, down from earlier estimates of one per cent to 1.5 per cent growth, he said.

“I think that would be a starting point. The final figure could be worse.”

However, the 2011 reduction was followed by a big jump as oil and gas production ramped up again, and this time around annual growth will likely be off by only 0.1 per cent from the expected 1.5 per cent increase, Reitzes said.

On the plus side, there will be a big impact from the reconstruction of all the homes, businesses and infrastructure destroyed by the blaze, but this is hard to assess until the fires are out.

Paul Verhesen, chair of the Alberta Construction Association, said their immediate concern is with public safety, but there’s plenty of capacity in the industry to handle the rebuilding ahead.

Although many employees based outside Alberta have stopped coming to the province during the current downturn, they can be recalled if needed, said Verhesen, president of Clark Builders.

“From an economic standpoint, it would add another injection into the industry that’s been slowing down as a result of the new economic reality we find ourselves in in Alberta.”

2:45 p.m. — Saskatchewan assisting Alberta’s wildfire efforts

Reported by Emma Graney

Resources from Saskatchewan are being used to fight new fire starts in Alberta near the shared border, and an airstrip has been made available in the northern community of Buffalo Narrows, about 250 kilometres southeast of Fort McMurray.

An emergency management crew from Saskatchewan is also heading to Alberta’s operation centre. Once here, that crew will determine what further assistance the province needs from Saskatchewan.

Saskatchewan’s provincial government is also assessing possible locations to house evacuees if need be.

Like Alberta, the fire risk in Saskatchewan remains high.

Earlier this week, British Columbia turned down a request for help from Alberta to send firefighters to help battle the Fort McMurray blaze, as the province struggles with an early start to it’s own wildfire season.

Ryan Turcot, an information officer with the B.C. Wildfire Service, said Alberta made a request for help Tuesday through the national Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. Requests go to all provinces and territories, so that those jurisdictions experiencing lower levels of activity can lend resources if available.

Grade 6, 9 tests cancelled for displaced students; no word on diploma exams

Reported by Emma Graney

Provincial Achievement Test exams have been cancelled for Grade 6 and 9 students from Fort McMurray, though decisions are still being made about diploma exams for Grade 12s.

Education Minister David Eggen said the province is looking at best practices from previous disasters, when students could choose whether or not to write diploma exams.

More than 12,000 students have been displaced by the giant wildfire raging in the city. Eggen said Thursday that the majority of those students will likely register at schools in Edmonton.

“We believe we can make this work,” he said.

“This is obviously an extraordinary situation … and I have teams in place now to look for spaces to accommodate (displaced students).”

There is no word yet on how many schools have been claimed by the fire.

“This is a very large circumstance to deal with, but this is the time when people step up and do extraordinary things – when extraordinary measures are needed,” Eggen said.

2:30 p.m. — ‘Air tankers are not going to stop this fire’

Reported by John Cotter, The Canadian Press

A wildfire that has devastated parts of Fort McMurray has exploded in size, and officials say they are now water bombing the city to keep it from being overwhelmed by flames.

Officials could not update the number of structures that have burned — already at 1,600 — saying crews have not had the time.

“This is an extreme fire event,” Chad Morrison of Alberta Forestry told reporters at a briefing in Edmonton on Thursday.

“Our first priority, obviously, was the community and the homes as well as the critical infrastructure.”

Morrison said they had 22 water bombers and were bringing in more, including four from Quebec.

“But let me be clear: air tankers are not going to stop this fire.

“It (the fire) is going to continue to push through these dry conditions until we actually get some significant rain.”

The fire, which had been menacing Fort McMurray since the weekend, rode a rapid shift in winds Tuesday afternoon to cut through the city on an east-west axis, cutting the main road and sending 80,000 residents fleeing in polar opposite directions under a mandatory evacuation order.

Aided by high winds, scorching heat and low humidity, the fire grew from 75 square kilometres Tuesday to 100 square kilometres on Wednesday, but by Thursday it was almost nine times that — at 850 square kilometres.

The fire remained wrapped around the west and southern edges of the city. If the city was the face of a clock, the fire surrounded it from the number four to 11.

Evacuees began their second full day out of their homes. About 25,000 remained in oilfield work camps north of Fort McMurray while the rest had moved south to stay in hotels, campgrounds, with friends, or in designated areas in Edmonton and as far south as Calgary.

Premier Rachel Notley said the province was exploring “a broad range of supports” for evacuees and expected to roll out some initial aid plans soon.

“To those people who have been displaced from their homes I want you to know that we have your back. You will be supported,” said Notley.

1:45 p.m. — Feds sending choppers, planes, and will match Red Cross donations

Reported by Lee Berthiaume in Ottawa

The federal government is deploying four helicopters and a search-and-rescue plane to Alberta, and will be matching all donations made to the Canadian Red Cross in response to the wildfires that have devastated Fort McMurray.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the measures during an emotional session of Parliament on Thursday, in which parliamentarians set aside their differences to pledge support for the thousands of people affected by the disaster.

“It is with a heavy heart that all Canadians have watched the devastation unfold over the last few days,” Trudeau said. “Homes have been destroyed, neighbourhoods have gone up in flames. The footage we have seen of cars racing down highways as the fire rages on all sides is nothing short of terrifying.

“I know I speak for all members of this House, and 36 million Canadians, when I say that our hearts go out to all affected families,” he added. “We are thinking of and praying for the people of Fort McMurray. Though Alberta’s loss is profound, we will get through this tragedy together, as friends, as neighbours, as Canadians.”

The four Griffon helicopters from nearby Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake and Edmonton, and the Hercules airplane from CFB Trenton, will be used to help ferry firefighters and equipment into the affected area, as well as evacuate people.

Two of the helicopters have already been used to transport first responders to locations where they are needed. They also flew overnight using special night surveillance equipment to help provincial officials plot the extent of the fire. One flew Premier Rachel Notley over the city to see the devastation first-hand.

1:30 p.m. — Fire flares, journalists ordered back to safety

Reported by Graham Thomson



A flare up of the Fort McMurray fire has forced police to hurriedly move its roadblock, which had been located 20 kilometres south of the city, a further 10 kilometres south.



Police ordered journalists that had been camped out at the roadblock, including camera crews from every Canadian network as well as NBC and the BBC, to leave immediately.



The news media formed a rag-tag convoy of cars, vans and satellite trucks on Highway 63 loosely escorted by police vehicles.



Reporters noticed a distant but large plume of black smoke blowing towards them as police urged stragglers into their vehicles.



When asked for more details, RCMP Staff Sgt. Jeff Simpson simply replied: “The fire has intensified. Please get in your vehicle and head south.”

1:10 p.m. — No timeline on when evacuees can return home

Reported by Emma Graney and Keith Gerein

There is no word on when the 88,000 fire evacuees will be able to return home. Weeks, months – officials are not giving any timeline until the fire is under control.

That fire, burning out of control south of Fort McMurray, is now 85,000 hectares in size and creating its own weather system, including lightning.

With the fire still burning in the city limits, officials were unable Thursday morning to give an update on the number of homes lost; that figure still stands at 1,600, but will likely rise.

While there were fears for the airport and the water treatment plant on Wednesday, both have emerged with only minor damage.

One man stranded east of the city in the fire zone was rescued via a military airlift on Thursday morning, but there are no reports of injuries or fatalities.

The number of residents who fled north to work camps is around 23,000. Officials are working to get those people south of the city out as soon as possible, starting with airlifting out 8,000 of the most vulnerable people. Once Highway 63 is declared safe for travel, fuel tanks will be sent north to ensure people can gas up before driving out.

The government is expected to give more information on relief to be provided to evacuees at an afternoon briefing.

Edmonton high school grad ceremony moves out of Northlands

Reported by Janet French

St. Francis Xavier students donning caps and gowns have moved their planned graduation banquet away from wildfire evacuees at Northlands.

Around 350 students from the west Edmonton Catholic school will attend a commencement ceremony at Northlands Thursday night as planned, but a Friday celebration dinner will move to the Shaw Conference Centre.

“The students and the school just (don’t) feel right in having a celebratory event so close to where people are dealing with the loss of their homes or much more,” Edmonton Catholic Schools spokeswoman Lori Nagy said.

A Junior Achievement gala and dinner initially set to take place Thursday night at Northlands has also been relocated to the Shaw centre.

12:30 p.m. — Iveson: “I’m so proud of the work our city is doing”

Reported by Elise Stolte

Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson choked up while describing his tour of the Northlands reception centre Thursday morning. The city has expanded their system of cots and showers in a third hall to welcome evacuees.

Insurance agencies are on site, cutting cheques for people on the spot to help them get hotels and personal items. Counselling and medical help -- with prescriptions -- is available, as well as an indoor playground, child care and portable showers.

“Cots from the national stockpile are on their way,” said Iveson. “With 6,000 more people coming to Edmonton, we’re going to need all of those supplies.”

“Transit drivers shuttling settling people from the airport and the firefighters on the ground,” he said, his voice catching and eyes welling with water. “I get a little emotional because I’m so proud of the work that our city is doing actually, our staff and the volunteers, it’s just been phenomenal.”

“After the Slave Lake fire, we learned a lot of things about how to do this,” Iveson said. “We always understood that the scale of these emergencies can be quite large so the city’s preparations have put us in good stead.”

Smoke prompts air quality advisory

Reported by Paige Parsons

Alberta Health Services has issued a precautionary air quality advisory for northern Alberta as a result of conditions caused by wildfires.

The health authority said people with respiratory or cardiovascular conditions should be careful and can reduce exposure to smoky air conditions by minimizing outdoor physical activity in the region, and by remaining indoors with windows, doors, vents and fans closed. AHS said most people don’t have to be concerned about current conditions, but should things become more severe, healthy people may be affected as well.

AHS said the advisory will remain in effect until further notice and that changing weather and wind are expected to create varying conditions.

Updates on air quality advisories can be found at http://www.airquality.alberta.ca.

What next: Evacuees wonder what the future will bring

Reported by Dave Lazzarino

On his 54th birthday, Corey Callaghan was diagnosed with diabetes. On his 55th, last year, he lost his leg to another medical condition. He had hoped May 3 would be better this year for his 56th. It wasn’t.

That day, he was told he may have to evacuate the city. He stuck around an extra day but on May 4 had no choice but to leave everything behind.

“I want to change my birthday to July,” Callaghan joked from his new temporary home at the Bold Centre in Lac La Biche, where more than 1,000 people have come after similar centres had to be evacuated closer to Fort McMurray.

The last he heard, his home wasn’t damaged but he may have to wait a few weeks until he can return to it.

Rodney Anderson wasn’t so lucky.

“I lost everything,” Anderson said.

He said he watched as the fire razed the part of town he has lived in for the past eight years, including the RV park and the Super 8 Motel.

He said he could feel the heat from the fire a few miles away.

Now, he doesn’t know where he’ll go and hasn’t had much sleep in the past few days but he’s found comfort in the support found in Lac La Biche.

“Gotta think positive, somehow,” he said.

Bishop urges churches to collect for wildfire effort

Reported by Kristine Lee

The Diocese of St. Paul in Alberta issued a statement on Thursday calling all parishes to collect extra money at weekend masses with a second collection for the Fort McMurray fire relief effort.

“In the days and months to come, as we learn of the full extent of the losses and damages,” wrote Bishop Paul Terrio.

“We shall all be called upon to continue and extend the tradition of families helping families and communities reaching out to communities to rebuild and resettle.

Concerns are growing regarding whether or not the St. Paul Parish church in the Thickwood area of Fort McMurray has been affected by the raging inferno.

Despite the hardship, Terrio spoke about the "miracle" that there was no loss of life due to the flames in an “already struggling” city in economic decline.

“Once again, the people of Ft McMurray have rallied together and reached out to help and protect each other,” the statement read. “Really, this in itself, constitutes a major achievement.”

Noon: Losses projected in the billions, say insurance companies

Reported by Gary Lamphier

An analyst at BMO Capital Markets estimates that insured property losses from the Fort McMurray wildfires are likely to be between $2.6 billion and $4.7 billion.

In a report on insurance giant Intact Financial, which has a large number of customers in Fort McMurray and across Alberta, BMO analyst Tom MacKinnon said industry losses could even range as high as $9 billion.

“On a top-down basis, assuming industry losses are in the same magnitude as Slave Lake … and adjusting for the fact that Intact says its market share in Slave Lake was significantly higher than it is in Fort McMurray … we estimate the after-tax loss to Intact would be 58 cents per share,” he wrote.

“Such a loss would put industry losses in the $900 million range, slightly higher than the $742 million for Slave Lake, due to higher expected losses per (home),” he added.

“But since Fort McMurray is nearly 10 times the size of Slave Lake, a disaster of the same magnitude impacting nearly all of Fort McMurray (similar in the way that nearly all of Slave Lake was significantly impacted) could potentially lead to $9 billion in insured industry losses.”

Losses of that magnitude would increase Intact’s losses to about 95 cents per share, MacKinnon estimated. But he said a “more reasonable” estimate would put total industry losses at between $2.6 billion and $4.7 billion, “still by far the largest potential catastrophe loss in Canadian history.”

Northlands capacity for evacuees increased to 2,400



Reported by Paige Parsons



According to the City of Edmonton, the reception centre set up at Northlands now has the capacity to accommodate 2,400 evacuees. There are 1,200 evacuees staying in the facility as of Thursday morning, though a total of 2,600 people have passed through and registered themselves with the centre.

Thursday 11:45 — CNRL has flown about 2,600 employees and evacuees to safety



Reported by Gordon Kent



About 2,600 employees and evacuees have been flown to safety from the airfield at the Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. Horizon oilsands plant in the last day.



The company, which has about 850 camp rooms available for evacuees, said Thursday it has suspended non-essential business travel to the site north of Fort McMurray, but regular shift changes continue and current operations remain stable.



In an update this morning, Premier Rachel Notley stayed that operations are focused on getting people in the northern camps “south as quickly as possible,” adding that the government is working with industry on air evacuation.



It is estimated there are about 25,000 people who have sought shelter north of Fort McMurray.

Edmonton schools open arms, doors to Fort McMurray students



Reported by Janet French



School districts in and around Edmonton have opened their doors to displaced Fort McMurray students.



Edmonton Catholic Schools, Edmonton Public Schools, Black Gold Regional school division, St. Thomas Aquinas Roman Catholic Schools, Elk Island Public Schools, Elk Island Catholic Schools, and Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools have all said they’re registering students from Fort McMurray who are ready to return to school.



Three children from Fort McMurray started in Edmonton Catholic Schools Wednesday, spokeswoman Lori Nagy said. One school principal told Nagy that when the teacher introduced one young pupil to the class, the tot said, “My world is burning.”



Most districts have said they’re waiving any school fees for Fort McMurray students. Nagy said schools have also been supplying the displaced students with backpacks and school supplies.



They may not stay long in Edmonton schools, and that’s OK, Nagy said.

“We may have these students for two days, two weeks, or longer,” she said. “… We’re just trying to provide the least interruption in their education.”



Fort McMurray students don’t have to present all the documents they would usually need to register in Elk Island Catholic Schools, spokeswoman Susan Johnson said. Around 10 families have registered or are registering their children in the district’s schools as of 11 a.m. Thursday.



Students who want to attend one of 200 Edmonton public schools should contact the school directly, spokeswoman Raquel Maurier said. A “handful” have registered so far, she said.



“We are all Albertans and are in this together. The (superintendent) has reached out to his colleague superintendents in the Fort McMurray area to let them know we are here for them and our resources are their resources,” Maurier wrote in an email.



Families who wish to register their children in an Edmonton Catholic school should call the school of their choice, or call the One World, One Centre for K-9 registrations at 780-944-2001, or Sacred Heart Centre for high school registrations at 780-944-2000.

Thursday 11:20 a.m: Premier Rachel Notley provides update on fire status

REOC staff are returning north to the Fire Hall 5 location - updates will resume in approx. 2.5 to 3 hours #ymmfire — RMWB (@RMWoodBuffalo) May 5, 2016

10:40 a.m. – Troops ready to help, waiting to be asked

Reported by Graham Thomson in Wandering River

The Canadian military’s top soldier in Western Canada says he has 350 troops at CFB Edmonton “chomping at the bit” to help out with the Fort McMurray fire.

But Brig.-Gen. Wayne Eyre says soldiers have not been sent north because they have not been asked to by the provincial government.

“Our response is based on what the province asked for and the province asked for air support,” said Eyre in a phone interview. “There has not been an ask for ground troops yet.”

The military has sent two helicopters that have been used to transport first responders such as police officers to locations where they are needed. They also flew overnight using special night surveillance equipment to help provincial officials plot the extent of the fire. One helicopter was also used on Wednesday to fly Premier Rachel Notley over the city so she could see the devastation first-hand.

But, as of Thursday morning, Notley had not asked for ground troops.

Eyre says the public should understand that the decision to send in troops is not up to the military but to provincial officials. And the province has to have exhausted all other options such as getting help from neighbouring provinces and states.

That was the case last year when troops were sent in to help fight forest fires in Saskatchewan when that province was overwhelmed.

Eyre says the military also has large transport aircraft on standby to resupply oilsands work camps that have become makeshift evacuee centres but are running low on food and water. The camps have their own airstrips.

He says it seems at this point Alberta has sufficient capacity to fight the fires without the military, but he also says his troops are ready, willing and more than able to help.

“They’re chomping at the bit and will do whatever is needed,” said Eyre. “We’ll put in every troop if necessary.”

Right now, he has 350 on standby.

“As always we are ready to help. It makes us proud to help Canadians at home. We do a lot of missions overseas but helping Canadians at home is mission number 1.”

Thursday10:30 a.m. — Boil water advisory still in effect for the Fort McMurray region

Alberta Health Services said Thursday that a boil water advisory is still in effect for the Fort McMurray region, including Anzac, Conklin, Gregoire Lake Provincial Park, Janvier, and nearby work camps that pull water from the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo Water Treatment Plant. AHS said this a precautionary measure due to conditions created by the wildfire.

Fort McKay is excluded from the advisory.

The health authority also said camps that get water from any provider other than Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo aren’t affected and aren’t under the boil water advisory.

Thursday 10 a.m. — More than 1,100 firefighters on the McMurray blaze

As of Thursday morning, more than 1,100 firefighters are battling the wildfire in Fort McMurray and the surrounding area, with the aid of 145 helicopters, 138 pieces of equipment and 22 air tankers.

Temperatures are expected to be cooler Thursday, with a high of 16 C, but forecasted low humidity and winds at 25 kp/h, gusting to 40 kp/h, are concerning officials.

As of 10 a.m., there are 49 wildfires burning in Alberta, and seven are out of control.

Mandatory evacuation orders are in place for Fort McMurray, Anzac, Gregoire Lake Estates, Fort McMurray First Nation and Mackenzie County near High Level. In a release Thursday morning, the Alberta government said it is not safe for evacuees from any of these areas to return to their homes.

Thursday 9:50 a.m.



Emergency personnel headquarters is being moved back to Fire Station 5 on Airport Road in Fort McMurray.

In an earlier update, the municipality reported that the fire hall hadn't been significantly damaged by the blaze, though there was serious damage to other structures on Airport Road.

Thursday 9:30 a.m.

Evacuees who are sheltering in place north of Fort McMurray are being advised by officials to stay put. Highway 63 running through Fort McMurray remains closed to the public.

If you're north of Fort McMurray, continue to shelter in place to stay safe #ymmfire — RMWB (@RMWoodBuffalo) May 5, 2016

Thursday 8:45 a.m.

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo has released updated information about wildfire damage to Fort McMurray. The municipality is reporting on social media that north Abasand is now on fire and the radio-cell tower is under threat from the blaze.

The new airport facility has not been damaged, but there has been serious damage to Old Airport Road structures. There has also been significant damage sustained to the Prospect area, though firefighters were able to prevent it from crossing Confederation. Downtown and Thickwood have no reported damaged, and Fire Hall 5 hasn't been significantly harmed by the blaze. The status of Anzac and Saprae Creek is unknown

Thursday 8:45 a.m.

Edmonton Public Schools has released information for evacuees from Fort McMurray who want to register their children in schools in the city.

The board said all evacuee students are welcome in Edmonton schools, and advised parents that if interested, they should use the Find a School tool to determine which school is appropriate based on their Edmonton address, and to then contact that school about registration.

Thursday 8:20 a.m.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that the federal government will match donations to the Canadian Red Cross to assist in Fort McMurray wildfire relief. A similar pledge was made by the Alberta government on Wednesday.

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo said Thursday at 8 a.m. that status updates on the wildfire will be provided as soon as information is available.

Back up - will provide status updates as soon as they become available #ymmfire — RMWB (@RMWoodBuffalo) May 5, 2016

Lac La Biche County is reaching out on social media to ask for help in collecting supplies for evacuee animals that the county is providing shelter for. People are being asked to donate blankets, towels, large kennels, dog bowls and pet food. Donations can be dropped off with the county.

Thursday 7:45 a.m.

Residents of Anzac who had rushed to help Fort McMurray evacuees sheltering in their communities were shocked when late Wednesday night the fire pushed south and they became evacuees themselves.

Debbie Smith, 59, opened her home in Anzac to evacuees from Fort McMurray, never thinking she would become one of them.

“We never thought we’d be evacuated,” she said at a gas station in Conklin midnight Wednesday. Conklin is about 110 kilometres south of Anzac on Highway 881.

“We left all our stuff there,” she said. As she and her husband left Anzac, they could see a “red glow” in the sky. There was ash falling all afternoon, she said.

“We’ll stay here for a few days and see what happens.”

Smith said she’s most concerned about her three-year-old grandson, who lives with her in Anzac. The boy’s father’s house in Fort McMurray is believed to have been destroyed. “He’s saying, ‘Is our house going to burn down too grandma?’” Smith said. “It really affects the kids.”

Adrienne McKellar, 46, said she was going to wait it out in Conklin too. Her husband is essential staff at a Suncor plant just south of Anzac and can’t leave, she said. Her plan was to wait and sleep in her truck until she knew he was safe.

Before she left Anzac, she looked out her window and could see a “wall of fire” on the other side of Gregoire Lake. “It was a glowing red flame,” she said.

She’d been housing seven people from Fort McMurray, but they all left Anzac for Edmonton before she departed Wednesday night.

“It’s been a really surreal experience,” she said.

Thursday 7:00 a.m.

Red Cross Alberta is calling on all evacuees forced out by the wildfire to register with the aid group. People can register by calling the Red Cross at 1-888-350-6070.

If you have evacuated the #YMMFire and have not yet done so, please register by calling toll-free 1-888-350-6070 #ABFire#FortMacFire — Red Cross Alberta (@RedCrossAB) May 5, 2016

Further updates on the firefighting efforts and damages are expected from the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo after 8 a.m.

Thursday 6:40 a.m.

It was 12 C in Fort McMurray at 6:40 a.m., with Environment Canada forecasting a high of 19 C for Thursday and a 30 per cent chance of showers. Winds are expected to pick up later in the morning and to begin blowing northwest, gusting up to 50 kilometres an hour.

Northern Lights School Division has cancelled classes in Lac La Biche, Wandering River and Plamondon because of ongoing traffic congestion caused by the evacuation.

Thursday 6:15 a.m.

A late night evacuation effort was successful, after the wildfire burning within Fort McMurray city limits began to push south.

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo reported that all Anzac and Gregoire Lake Estates residents were evacuated. Fort McMurray First Nation was also evacuated. Hundreds of evacuees who had earlier fled Fort McMurray and who were sheltering in Anzac were moved once again.

Good news - All Anzac and Gregoire Lake Estates residents successfully evacuated #ymmfire — RMWB (@RMWoodBuffalo) May 5, 2016

Officials said they were marshalling buses to help with the evacuation, scheduled to begin at 11 p.m. Mounties said they would go door-to-door to alert people.

At 5 a.m. Thursday, Environment Canada issued several air quality advisories because of conditions created by the Fort McMurray blaze.

Residents in all of the following areas are being advised to take precautions, as the smoky conditions can pose a high health risk:

Lac La Biche County near Crow Lake Provincial Park

Lac La Biche County near Wiau Winefred and Grist Lakes

Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo near Fort MacKay and Wallace Creek

Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo near Fort McMurray and Anzac

Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo near Gipsy Lake and Whitemud Falls

Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo near Grand Rapids Wildland Provincial Park

Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo near Janvier South and Conklin

Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo near Mariana Lake

Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo near Stony Mountain Provincial Park and Engstrom Lake

Additional help arrived overnight to join in the battle with the wildfire.

Canada Task Force 2, Alberta’s provincial disaster response team, arrived and began offering support in the early hours of Thursday, according to Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo social media.

The task force members passed through Edmonton in a convoy of 16 vehicles late Wednesday.

16 Vehicles in @CANTF2 convoy approaching Gateway park, heading east on the henday. Please keep your eyes open #staysafe#yeg#yegtraffic — Evan Yaceyko (@yaceykoe) May 5, 2016

Alberta declared a provincial state of emergency — a trigger for beefed up federal assistance — on Wednesday, the second day of the mandatory evacuation of 88,000 Fort McMurray residents. An estimated 1,600 destroyed homes and businesses had been destroyed, Premier Rachel Notley said Wednesday morning.

The ranks of firefighters and emergency equipment from cities such as Edmonton, along with air support from the Canadian military, multiplied throughout the day.

But the rapidly evolving fire forced the city’s emergency operations centre to evacuate south to Nexen’s Long Lake oilsands facility near Anzac and then pick up again late Wednesday and move 280 kilometres south to Lac La Biche with other evacuees.