Firefighters are once again preparing to battle with what Darby Allen, the Regional Fire Chief of Wood Buffalo, has been calling “the beast.”
Officials worry the “the beast” — a fire that has destroyed more than 1,600 homes and buildings and burned more than 101,000 hectares of forest — will grow to over double it’s size by the time the sun sets.
“I do expect that there is a high potential that this fire could double in size by tomorrow,” said Chad Morrison, senior wildfire manager for the province, on Friday.
“We have substantially extreme fire conditions in front of us still for the next two days.”
Morrison said that the winds are expected to blow from the southwest pushing the fire northeast away from the community into the forested area.
If the fire does indeed double it will end the day at 2,000 square kilometres of flames, three times the size of Edmonton or Toronto.
A message from Darby Allen – May 6, 6 p.m. #ymmfire #FortMacFire pic.twitter.com/0wSM7GX4y3
Finish the convoy
Officials will continue to airlift and escort the remaining evacuees that have been trapped in work camps on the north side of the fire Saturday.
About 5,500 were airlifted Friday and it’s hoped another 4,000 will be flown out Saturday.
On Friday more than 2,500 vehicles successfully made it through the city, with the convoy halting only once when smoke made Highway 63 impassable.
In total 7,500 people were moved south of the flames.
One of the evacuees who made the journey described said it was “like driving through a war zone.”
The slow and sad procession through the city will resume at 6 a.m. weather permitting under RCMP escort.
Fort McMurray convoy2:57
Staying amidst the flames
Also Saturday, RCMP are expected to update the public on their ongoing search and rescue operation in Fort McMurray.
In a press release sent out on Friday RCMP said that despite the flames and smoke, some people have remained in in the city.
Late on Thursday, RCMP found a family of five, including three young children, during a door-to-door search of the Dickinsfield neighbourhood.
RCMP said the family did not leave because “they did not believe they were in danger.”
Police officers direct traffic under a cloud of smoke from a wildfire in Fort McMurray, Alta., on Friday, May 6, 2016. (Jason Franson/Canadian Press)
RCMP also located an elderly man and his dog that evening. Both the family, the man and the dog have been since evacuated from the city.
Neighbourhoods and areas of the city frequented by homeless people are also being patrolled.
“People need to understand that evacuation orders are issued for a reason, and that not leaving puts them and emergency responders at unnecessary risk,” said Insp. Gibson Glavin.