Evacuees from Abasand, Beacon Hill, Prairie Creek, and Grayling Terrace may now return home. The decision to lift the evacuation order was made in unified command with Alberta Wildfire and the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo and was made based on the following criteria:
Recent rain has reduced the intensity of the wildfire and significant progress has been made on containing the northern edge. Construction of fire guards has been completed between the northern edge of the fire and Fort McMurray, helping prevent the wildfire from moving closer to the community, landfill and Highway 63.
Structure protection remains in place and crews have completed spraying land-based fire-retardant in the forested areas that border evacuated neighbourhoods.
Returning Home Safely
Information for evacuees returning home can be found at rmwb.ca/alerts. Emergency social services, including food and accommodation will remain in place until 12 noon, tomorrow, Sunday, May 19. Evacuee registration is now closed.
Highway 63 and Highway 881 are open, and traffic is flowing in both directions. Upon arriving in Fort McMurray, RCMP officers will be present at neighbourhood entrances and patrolling the areas. Residents can freely enter the neighbourhoods without needing to show identification.
“We are so pleased to be able to welcome people home and have them return home, safely,” said Mayor Sandy Bowman. “We thank everyone that was evacuated this week for their patience, resolve and strength, and we look forward to seeing all of you. While there is more work to be done, I want to express my deepest appreciation to all those that played such a critical role in protecting our community, keeping people safe and supporting evacuees, while being there for each other.”
While significant progress has been made on containing wildfire MWF-017 and it is safe for residents to return home, the wildfire is not classified as under control. Given the size of the wildfire, it will remain active for many weeks and will take time to bring under full control.
With the progress made and resources that continue to manage the fire, the Incident Management Team is confident that the wildfire does not pose a threat to the community.
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