Fort McMurray Wildfire has Destroyed 1,600 Buildings: Alberta Premier

State of Emergency Declared in Alberta

Mandatory Mass Evacuations: 88,000 residents flee Fort McMurray, surrounding communities

The explosive wildfire that is raging around Fort McMurray, the Canadian oil city in the provice of Alberta, has consumed about 8,000 hectares so far,  destroying 1,600 structures in the city, said Alberta Premier Rachel Notley.

“There’s been fairly significant destruction of residences,” she told reporters in Edmonton on Wednesday.

“We’re looking at roughly 1,600 structures at this point, so we’ve begun conversations with our federal partners about work that will need to be done with respect to restoration and recovery once the fire is brought under control.”

• Communities south of Fort McMurray order to leave as wildfire advances
• LIVE BLOG: Breaking updates on the Fort McMurray wildfire

“We successfully evacuated 88,000 people,” fire Chief Darby Allen said at a news conference.  “No one is hurt and no one has passed away.”

Fort McMurray effectively cut off from the rest of Alberta 

“Currently that fire, at Airport Road and Highway 63  … has jumped both sides of the road, and traffic is no longer moving north or south,” a city official said on Wednesday evening.

Morning dawns on the widespread devastation in Beacon Hill, where 80 per cent of homes were lost. (Sylvain Bascaron/CBC)

Related Links

• Wildfire Forces Evacuation Order for 60,000+ in Fort McMurray, Canada May 4, 2016