Fire outside Fort McMurray now under control, says Alberta Wildfire

The fire that prompted the evacuation of several neighbourhoods in Fort McMurray earlier in May was classified as under control on Tuesday.

"Under control" means a wildfire is "contained and will be extinguished," according to Alberta Wildfire.

"Thank you to all the firefighters and support staff who have worked hard over the past few weeks to get this fire under control. There were many challenging days and long hours but it’s rewarding to see this wildfire has been updated to under control. There is still work to be done to fully extinguish this fire, but our firefighters are up for the challenge," the provincial agency said on Tuesday.

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Crews will be working on the fireline looking for and extinguishing any remaining hot spots within the perimeter. A total of 151 firefighters and 15 helicopters are assigned to the fire.

It was first detected on May 9 and is more than 18,500 hectares large.

The part of the fire that is closest to Fort McMurray also remains 5.5 kilometres from the landfill on its southwest outskirts.

About 6,600 people were ordered to leave their homes in four communities on May 14 and allowed to return on May 18.

Out of 30 wildfires burning in Alberta's protected forests, only two are classified as being held; the rest are under control.