The City of Edmonton announced Friday that the reception centre set up to provide food and shelter for evacuees of the Fort McMurray wildfire had been closed, as those using the facility had found their own interim housing.
The reception centre at the Northlands Expo Centre was opened at midnight May 4 to help handle thousands of people streaming out of Fort McMurray and surrounding communities due to a massive wildfire in the area.
Since then, the centre has provided accommodations, food, clothing, and counselling for evacuees.
On Friday, officials said evacuees staying at the facility had found their own places to stay, so the centre was no longer needed. The City of Edmonton worked with the Alberta Government and Red Cross and other organizations to help evacuees find accommodations.
Since it opened, the City said nearly 25,000 people visited the reception centre – at its peak, about 2,000 were staying there. In total, about 66,000 meals have been served.
As of noon Friday, the reception centre was officially closed.
A voluntary phased re-entry for evacuees is scheduled to start June 1.
