Residents of several neighbourhoods in Fort McMurray have been ordered to leave their homes as a wildfire rages out-of-control south of the community.
The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo says the order is in effect for the Beacon Hill, Abasand, Prairie Creek, and Grayling Terrace communities.
All residents are being told they must leave their homes by 4 p.m.
An evacuation alert remains in effect for the rest of Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek, Gregoire Lake Estates, Fort McMurray First Nation #468, Anzac, and Rickards Landing Industrial Park.
In an update Monday morning Alberta Wildfire officials said the wildfire has grown to about 9,602 hectares in size, about 3,000 hectares larger than it was on Sunday evening, according to the latest update from Alberta Wildfire.
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The update says the fire has grown closer to Fort McMurray and is spreading through the ground and fine fuels left behind in the burned area from the 2016 wildfire.
The closest point of the fire is now estimated to be about 13.5 km from the Fort McMurray landfill and about 13 km from the intersection of highways 63 and 881.
The two-hour evacuation alert means that residents must be ready to leave with two hours’ notice if the situation changes and an evacuation order is issued.
More information on the areas that are under evacuation alert is available on the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo’s website.
For the latest information on which areas in Alberta are under an evacuation alert or order due to a wildfire, visit the Alberta Emergency Alert website.
For the latest information on the wildfire status and danger across the province, visit the Alberta Wildfire website.
The latest information on fire advisories, restrictions and bans across the province can be found on the Alberta fire bans website.
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