Fort McMurray fire: 2,400 structures gone, 10% of city destroyed
By Holly Yan and Dan Simon, CNN
Updated
3:01 PM EDT, Mon May 9, 2016
(CNN) —
Authorities in Alberta are getting a depressing handle on the burning of Fort McMurray, where a catastrophic wildfire forced the flight of more than 90,000 people and torched an area half the size of Rhode Island.
Nearly 10% of the city has been destroyed, including at least 2,400 structures, a spokesperson for Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said.
Authorities are anticipating a return in at least two weeks for people whose homes were not damaged. But they can’t move back now.
“Today this city is not safe,” Notley told reporters on Monday.
The weather is starting to cooperate a bit. The blaze is headed to sparsely populated areas. And firefighters from across Canada are suiting up to join the battle.
“We may be turning a corner, but it’s too early to celebrate,” said Ralph Goodale, federal minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness. “This beast is an extraordinarily difficult problem.”
Families torn apart
Melissa Gallant, who sent her two children thousands of miles away to stay with relatives in eastern Canada, said she believes this situation is “going to be traumatic for everyone.”.
“I just put them on a plane and told them that I loved them, and that I was going to see them as soon as I could figure it all out,” Gallant said. “They asked how long it would be, and I just told them that I didn’t know.”
Gallant said she wanted to spare her children, ages 7 and 12, the trauma of seeing their hometown of Fort McMurray charred.
“I want my kids to come back to normalcy,” Gallant said. “Not ground zero.”
Fort McMurray fire: Before and after
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The 32-year-old evacuated to Lac La Biche, about two hours away. But she insisted on staying in Alberta province, with or without a house.
“When we go back, there’s going to be lots to do. We have a city to rebuild,” Gallant said.
“If my house is standing, then there’s rooms for others who maybe aren’t so fortunate. If my house is gone, I need to know that, too.”
Hope on the horizon
The Fort McMurray wildfire has already torched 400,000 acres. But that’s far better than the roughly 500,000 acres officials feared would be gone by now.
“We’re very happy we’ve held the fire better than expected,” Alberta fire official Chad Morrison said. “We hope to see continued success over the next few days. For us this is great firefighting weather.”
The slowdown of the fire is the best news shared by Canadian officials since the fire started May 1.
Record-high temperatures that scorched northern Alberta last week will dip to below average and stay in the mid-50s through Thursday, CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen said.
When Gallant tried to evacuate from McMurray, she drove through what looked like “a wall of fire” to Lac La Biche. What should have been a two-hour drive turned into an eight-hour nightmare.
Exhausted, she pulled up to a cottage belonging to the owners of the Ford dealership where she works. Gallant asked if she could sleep for a few hours in their driveway.
“They said, ‘We already have bedrooms here waiting for you,’ ” Gallant said.
At one point, the cottage owners had about 17 people staying with them.
“The true heroes in these stories are the people who aren’t out there telling about it,” she said.
1,500 firefighters deployed
Photos: Wildfire forces Canadian city to evacuate
Remains of burned homes are seen in a neighborhood in Fort McMurray, Alberta, on Friday, May 13. A massive wildfire has forced more than 88,000 people from their homes.
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Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP
Photos: Wildfire forces Canadian city to evacuate
Remains of a building stand in the neighborhood of Abasand in Fort McMurray on May 13.
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Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP
Photos: Wildfire forces Canadian city to evacuate
Burned trees dot the landscape in Fort McMurray on May 13.
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Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP
Photos: Wildfire forces Canadian city to evacuate
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, left, and Fort McMurray Fire Chief Darby Allen look over the devastation during a visit to Fort McMurray on May 13.
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Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP
Photos: Wildfire forces Canadian city to evacuate
Charred remains of homes are seen in Fort McMurray on May 13.
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Jason Franson /The Canadian Press via AP
Photos: Wildfire forces Canadian city to evacuate
A police officer looks over a destroyed building in the Abasands neighborhood of Fort McMurray on Monday, May 9.
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Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press via AP
Photos: Wildfire forces Canadian city to evacuate
Burned ground surrounds a sign welcoming visitors to Fort McMurray on May 9. The wildfire began Sunday, May 1, and had torched nearly 617,800 acres as of May 10, according to Alberta's Wildfire Management agency. The cause of the blaze was unclear.
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Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press via AP
Photos: Wildfire forces Canadian city to evacuate
Remains of a burned-out house sit near intact homes in Fort McMurray on May 9.
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Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press via AP
Photos: Wildfire forces Canadian city to evacuate
Smoke fills the air as a police officer checks vehicles at a roadblock along Highway 63 leading into Fort McMurray on Sunday, May 8.
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Scott Olson/Getty Images
Photos: Wildfire forces Canadian city to evacuate
Rodney Howse gets water at a donation center on May 8. The center was established to help evacuees who were forced from their homes by the wildfire.
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Scott Olson/Getty Images
Photos: Wildfire forces Canadian city to evacuate
A ball of flame rises behind abandoned vehicles on Highway 63 near Fort McMurray on Saturday, May 7.
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Darryl Dyck/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Photos: Wildfire forces Canadian city to evacuate
Foundations of homes are all that remain in parts of a residential neighborhood in Fort McMurray on May 7.
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Scott Olson/Getty Images
Photos: Wildfire forces Canadian city to evacuate
Skeletons of patio furniture are seen on May 7.
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Scott Olson/Getty Images
Photos: Wildfire forces Canadian city to evacuate
A helicopter helping with the Fort McMurray wildfire takes off from a staging base near Conklin, Alberta, on May 7.
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Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press/AP
Photos: Wildfire forces Canadian city to evacuate
Remains of a home in Fort McMurray are seen on May 7.
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Scott Olson/Getty Images
Photos: Wildfire forces Canadian city to evacuate
Charred vehicles sit in a heavily damaged residential neighborhood on May 7.
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Scott Olson/Getty Images
Photos: Wildfire forces Canadian city to evacuate
Smoke and flames create a dramatic sunset near Fort McMurray on Friday, May 6.
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Chris Schwarz/Government Of Alberta/Atlas Archive/UPPA/ZUMA Press
Photos: Wildfire forces Canadian city to evacuate
A huge plume of smoke from the wildfires rises over Fort McMurray in this aerial photograph taken on May 6.
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Dyck/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Photos: Wildfire forces Canadian city to evacuate
The remains of a swing sits in a residential neighborhood destroyed by the fire on May 6 in Fort McMurray.
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Scott Olson/Getty Images
Photos: Wildfire forces Canadian city to evacuate
A plane drops fire retardant in Fort McMurray on May 6.
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Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press/AP
Photos: Wildfire forces Canadian city to evacuate
A police helicopter lifts off through dust and smoke on May 6.
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Jason Franson/The Canadian Press/AP
Photos: Wildfire forces Canadian city to evacuate
Drivers wait for clearance to take firefighting supplies into town on Thursday, May 5, outside Fort McMurray.
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Scott Olson/Getty Images
Photos: Wildfire forces Canadian city to evacuate
A member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police surveys wildfire damage in Fort McMurray. The RCMP tweeted the photo on May 5.
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RCMP/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: Wildfire forces Canadian city to evacuate
Tyra Abo sits on a cot at a makeshift evacuation center in Lac la Biche, Alberta, on May 5.
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COLE BURSTON/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: Wildfire forces Canadian city to evacuate
A woman picks through donated clothing and goods at a makeshift evacuation center in Lac la Biche on May 5.
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COLE BURSTON/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: Wildfire forces Canadian city to evacuate
The wildfire moves toward the town of Anzac on Wednesday, May 4.
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Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP
Photos: Wildfire forces Canadian city to evacuate
People camp out at a beach south of Fort McMurray on May 4.
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Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP
Photos: Wildfire forces Canadian city to evacuate
Evacuees watch the wildfire near Fort McMurray on May 4.
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Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP
Photos: Wildfire forces Canadian city to evacuate
Traffic is at a standstill on Highway 63 south as residents flee the wildfire on May 4.
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Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP
Photos: Wildfire forces Canadian city to evacuate
Robert Parker, left, and Matt Jones siphon gas from two snowmobiles for their truck on May 4.
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Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP
Photos: Wildfire forces Canadian city to evacuate
A helicopter flies past the wildfire in Fort McMurray on May 4.
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Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP
Photos: Wildfire forces Canadian city to evacuate
The wildfire rages through Fort McMurray on Tuesday, May 3.
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JEROME GAROT/TWITTER.COM/EPA
Photos: Wildfire forces Canadian city to evacuate
The wildfire burns through northern Alberta in this image released by NASA on May 3.
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NASA/EARTH OBSERVATORY/JOSHUA STEVENS/EPA
Five hundred firefighters employing 15 helicopters and 14 air tankers have been struggling to contain the massive blaze in the Fort McMurray area. Firefighters from Edmonton and other cities are pouring into to help out. In all of Alberta, about 1,500 firefighters are working.
Firefighters from as far east as Quebec and New Brunswick will join the battle this week. At least 700 firefighters are on the scene and 300 more are on the way, officials said.
Fifteen helicopters and 14 air tankers are on the scene.
Across Alberta, strangers donated clothing and shoes to those who lost their homes.
Gallant said the outpouring of support has made the ordeal much more bearable.
“We appreciate all the prayers, all the donations,” she said. “It certainly doesn’t go unnoticed in a time of need.”
Dan Simon reported from near Fort McMurray; Holly Yan reported and wrote from Atlanta. CNN’s Paul Vercammen, Eliott C. McLaughlin, Sheena Jones, Sean Morris, and Joe Sterling contributed to this report.