FORT MCMURRAY, Alta. – A mandatory evacuation of employees at work camps north of Fort McMurray, Alta., has expanded and now affects about 8,000 people.
The Rural Municipality of Wood Buffalo issued an emergency alert about 10 p.m. on Monday evening, saying the move was prompted by the threat of a quickly spreading wildfire.
The evacuation zone now stretches about 50 kilometres north of Fort McMurray to just south of Fort MacKay, and includes Syncrude and Suncor facilities, along with several smaller operations.
The alert instructs all camps and production facilities to evacuate immediately, and for all evacuees to head south on Highway 63 “if possible.”