Thousands of Fort McMurray residents headed south to safety as a large out-of-control wildfire inched closer to their community, but many are worried they won't have a home to return to.A highway camera photo shows traffic in Fort McMurray jammed in the southbound lane of Highway 63 on the north side of the Athabasca River. The image was captured at 3:11 p.m. MT Tuesday, about an hour after an evacuation order was issued for four neighbourhoods.
"I think the worst part right now is the unknown," Barnes told CBC as she and a friend evacuated to Lac La Biche in the evening.The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo had told residents to head to an evacuation centre in Lac La Biche, but around 7 p.m., the municipality posted on social media that accommodation in Lac La Biche was full and directed evacuees to Cold Lake, about 147 kilometres to a new evacuation centre at the Agriplex.
"Still the same anxiety, same things going through your mind, and this time, I have kids to worry about," Mortlock said, noting he was evacuating with two children under the age of six. In 2016, Tomie had to evacuate while pregnant with her daughter and console a young son who was frightened by the situation.Ian Seggie, who lives in Thickwood Heights north of the Athabasca River, said he'll never forget the 2016 wildfire.