Canada’s wildfire evacuees could be allowed to return by June

FORT McMURRAY, Alberta — More than 80,000 residents who fled Canada’s main oil sands town because of a massive wildfire could return home starting on June 1 if conditions are deemed to be safe, officials said Wednesday.

Premier Rachel Notley said the re-entry will be done in stages and will be voluntary and cautioned the date is preliminary. Those who live in the least damaged areas will be allowed in first.

Notley said schools will not reopen again until September and a boil water advisory will be in effect for all of June.

More than 80,000 residents were forced to evacuate more than two weeks ago. About 1,921 structures were destroyed, but 90 percent of the city remains intact, including essential infrastructure like the hospital, water treatment plant and the airport.

“Remember, many hazards remain in Fort McMurray,” Notley said. “We need to address all of them before it is safe for residents to begin to return, and we are doing this.”

The conditions to return include no threat of wildfire or from smoke. Basic emergency, medical and other services such as water, electricity and natural gas must be available.

She said hazardous areas within the community must also be made secure and local government must be re-established.

“If the five re-entry conditions are met we anticipate that residents on a voluntary and phased basis will be allowed to begin returning to Fort McMurray beginning Wednesday, June 1 with the return completed Wednesday June 15,” she said.

Notley said if conditions change as they did this week the voluntary re-entry could begin later. Almost 8,000 people were evacuated Monday from oil sands work camps north of the city as the fire approached. The fire destroyed at least one camp.

Notley noted the fire continues to “burn out of control” north of the city and is now 1,633 square miles in size, more than six times the size of Toronto, Canada’s largest city. That includes areas already burned and currently burning. She said Cooler temperatures are expected and rain is expected later this week.

The Alberta oil sands have the third-largest reserves of oil in the world behind Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. Its workers largely live in Fort McMurray, a former frontier outpost-turned-city whose residents come from all over Canada.