There have been no injuries or death in the province from the fires.
The Fort McMurray fires, however, are a natural disaster that is likely to be on a economic scale the likes of which are economy hasn't seen before. Environment Canada said temperatures would rise to 27 degrees Celsius (80 degrees Fahrenheit) on Saturday, with a 40 per cent chance of rain on Sunday and Monday, followed by cooler temperatures.
The people being evacuated - for a second time, after first abandoning their homes - had fled this week to an area north of the city where oil companies have lodging camps for workers.
Many evacuees are expected eventually to wind up in Edmonton, the provincial capital some 379 kilometers (236 miles) to the south, or Calgary, where residents and officials were working to set up accommodations for the influx of temporary residents.
He said his office has been in "constant contact" with the office of Alberta Premier Rachel Notley "to provide any support we can". While there is presently a glut of crude on the market, at least one expert says the Fort McMurray wildfire may whittle away at that. Sgt. John Spaans, an RCMP spokesman, said 50 vehicles at a time were being allowed to go through Fort McMurray on Highway 63. At that point another convoy of 50 cars will begin.
All intersections along the convoy route have been blocked off to ensure no one goes astray. Officials said they feared the fire could worsen.
The Fort McMurray wildfire is so big you can see it from space. If Fort McMurray were the face of a clock, flames surrounded it from the numbers four to 11.
Mousseau said that's why the size of a fire isn't always the most important factor in setting firefighting priorities.
"Things have calmed down in the city a little bit, but guys are out as we speak fighting fires, trying to protect your property", Allen said. "He knew that I was upset so he jumped the curb on the wrong side of the road and got out" .
Canadians donate $30 million so far to Red Cross wildfire relief effortMercredi said she was lucky that a Shell employee filled their tank with gas after they initially evacuated north. He said he has received calls from people in Ontario and other parts of the country asking how they can donate.
An estimated 12,000 evacuees are being provided with food, clothes and somewhere to sleep in La Biche, a small town about 175 miles away from Fort McMurray. The smoke was thick in the air and embers glowed in the burned brush along the roadside until they got well south of town, they said. She later noted that figures couldn't be updated Thursday night because fire fighters were too busy battling the fire.
Fanned by high winds, scorching heat and low humidity, the fire grew from 29 square miles Tuesday to 39 square miles on Wednesday, but by Thursday it was nearly nine times that - at 330 square miles. Larivee also ordered a ban on recreational use of off-highway vehicles, while Notley urged Albertans to avoid forests altogether.
Meanwhile, an analyst at the Bank of Montreal warned yesterday that if the fires complete the destruction of buildings and homes in Fort McMurray the bill for insurers could reach CAN$9bn.
The conditions have created fast-moving, stubborn fires that are tough to contain, he added.
"I do expect that there's a high potential that this fire could double in size by the end of the day tomorrow", Chad Morrison, the senior manager of wildfire prevention at the Alberta Agriculture and Forestry Division said Friday afternoon. She said she and her family have had trouble sleeping and have had nightmares involving fires.
Skrepnek said there are now 81 fires burning across the province, and 213 have been sparked since April 1, burning more than 300-square kilometres.
The federal government is providing air assets and 7,000 cots for evacuees in emergency shelters, with 13,000 more on the way.
Canada's oilsands are considered the third-largest reserves of crude oil in the world.
Source: Couple watches Fort McMurray home burn on security camera app
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