Firefighters patrol the evacuated neighbourhood of Grayling Terrace in Fort McMurray, Alta., on May 16, 2024.Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press
The evacuation order covering four communities in Fort McMurray lifted Saturday, thanks to a streak of rain, cooler temperatures and work by crews to build defensive structures against an approaching wildfire.
Roughly 6,000 people were ordered to evacuate May 14, although many more left because they wanted to avoid a do-over of the chaotic 2016 evacuation. Officials also ended the local state of emergency and lifted the evacuation alert for the rest of the city and surrounding communities, such as Fort McMurray First Nation and Anzac.
“It is now safe for us to end the current evacuation and allow people to return to their homes,” Sandy Bowman, the city’s mayor, said at a community update Saturday morning. He acknowledged that the welcome news could still stir difficult emotions for those who fled the city.
“As you make the journey home, please take your time, be safe, and reach out for help or someone to talk to if you need to,” Mr. Bowman said. “It is really important to continue to support and be there for each other, now and for the rest of the summer, during this wildfire season.”
The fire is still classified as out of control.
“We will be living with this wildfire for several weeks,” Mr. Bowman said. “The weather is favourable right now, but as the summer takes shape and temperatures begin to rise, we can expect to see smoke from this and other wildfires in our region.”
The fire did not reach the city. On Saturday morning, it was about 5.5 kilometres from Fort McMurray’s landfill and 4.5 kilometres from the intersection of Highways 63 and 881.
Evacuees from Abasand, Beacon Hill, Prairie Creek, and Grayling Terrace will be able to access emergency social services such as accommodations and food until Sunday at noon, according to the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, which encompasses Fort McMurray.
Authorities said crews finished building fire guards between the northern edge of the fire and Fort McMurray, to help prevent the blaze from moving close to the city, the landfill, and Highway 63.
Crews also sprayed 248,000 litres of fire-retardant on forest and brush adjacent to the evacuated neighbourhoods. The rusty film was applied to an area stretching about 4.9 kilometres, according to Jody Butz, the director of emergency management and regional fire chief.
RCMP are still monitoring the four communities that were previously under evacuation orders, but Mr. Butz said identification will not be required to enter these areas. He asked that curious onlookers stay away to make it easier for residents to return to their homes.
“If you’ve never had the opportunity to see the fire chief dancing in the rain, you missed your opportunity earlier this morning,” Mr. Butz said.
Recent rain reduced the fire’s intensity and crews were able to make significant progress on containing the fire’s northern edge. About 20 millimetres of rain has fallen on the fire since May 16, according to Alberta Wildfire spokeswoman Josee St-Onge. More precipitation is in the forecast.
Helicopters would likely be grounded Saturday because of weather, but heavy equipment operators worked overnight to establish ground access to the fire, so crews could be back on the blaze’s edge Saturday, she said. Roughly 500 people were working on the fire as of Saturday.
The fire is burning in the path of the 2016 inferno, which levelled parts of Fort McMurray that year and forced roughly 90,000 people in northern Alberta to flee. The city was empty for nearly a month.
That fire, known as The Beast, burned about 579,767 hectares. This year’s blaze, labelled MWF-017, has chewed through about 19,493 hectares, according Ms. St-Onge.