The mayor of Slave Lake is meeting with displaced residents at evacuation centres on Wednesday. Her first stop was in Athabasca where she told residents it could be weeks before they could return to town to see if their home is still standing.
"People were expecting maybe two, three days...it could be two to three weeks before we actually get a chance to step back into the community," said Slave Lake resident Steve Anderson.
Mayor Karina Pillay-Kinnee headed to the Westlock community hall followed by a trip to Edmonton to give evacuees an update on the situation in Slave Lake.
"When we do give the information they are going to know if their homes have been affected, damaged, or destroyed. We're doing everything we can. I think in the next while we'll have that information to them," said Pillay-Kinnee.
But residents were hoping for answers today.
"They didn't really address any of our concerns," said one resident who is staying in Athabasca.
Local RCMP had originally suggested on Tuesday it would be at least the weekend before residents could return to the area, but the mayor now believes it will longer.
Officials say a return to town for residents is simply not safe at this point.
"Right now we have hundreds of homes that were affected by fire, so I guess you have hundreds of potential fires there. It's a pretty daunting thought, in terms of being able to fully extinguish that and making sure it's safe for people to return," said Brian McAsey with the Calgary Fire Department.
In the meantime, a temporary school has been set up for children.
Ranging from kindergarten to Grade 12, students made their way over to the Athabasca University Wednesday morning.
"Them starting up school today was a good thing, keep them interactive with kids that they know, keep their minds going. It was a good thing," said resident Amy Stecyk.
School officials say it's vital to give students a sense of normalcy as they wait for word on the status of their homes.
Insurance providers were on site Wednesday answering questions for residents. And Edmonton-based Rexall pharmacists came out to help with prescription refills.
"A lot of people who have just run out their medication or don't have their medication. They're already dealing with enough," said Ali Damani with Rexall Pharmacies.
The town, county and the province are working on a map that would show exactly which areas are OK. CTV News was told that could be available in the coming days.
With files from Bill Fortier
