The province said hundreds of firefighters from British Columbia have been brought in to help fight wildfires in northern Alberta, while hundreds more are slated to head north after arriving from South Africa over the weekend.

In a news conference held Monday, the province said the wildfire in the Fort McMurray area was estimated to be 580,000 kilometres in size, mainly burning on the eastern side.

Currently, the province said there are 1,700 firefighters battling the blaze – with 250 firefighters joining them from B.C. In addition, the 300 firefighters from South Africa were expected to head north in the next couple of days.

Officials said the wildfire was not expected to grow in the coming days, due to cool and wet weather in the forecast.

Meanwhile, the plan to start a voluntary and phased re-entry of evacuated residents was still slated to start on June 1 – but with some significant changes for residents of certain areas.

Premier Rachel Notley said testing had found that undamaged homes in certain neighbourhoods were not safe for re-occupation – meaning 500 homes that were not damaged in the fire have been deemed unsafe for now.

The province said 357 homes and 10 apartment complexes in Abasand, 27 homes and one apartment complex in Waterways, and 183 homes and one apartment in Beacon Hill were affected – and those residents shouldn’t plan to come back at the same time as everyone else.

In total, about 9,000 people live in those areas, the province said, and they should plan on staying elsewhere for the short-term.

The province also said the initial cleaning of the hospital has been finished, medical supplies need to be restocked and equipment re-calibrated. The hospital is expected to be able to offer basic services starting on June 1, the temporary urgent care facility is running, and is expected to remain open until the hospital is fully operational.

The Premier also said provincial and federal government matching of donations to the Red Cross was slated to end on Tuesday – it’s believed the Government of Alberta’s contribution to the Red Cross for the wildfire appeal will be in excess of $30 million.