Officials with the Alberta government said a massive wildfire in northern Alberta had crossed the border into Saskatchewan, and crews hoped cooler temperatures in the forecast could help get a handle on the fire.
Minister Danielle Larivee said Thursday that the fire in the Fort McMurray area continued to burn out of control – as of Thursday morning was 505,645 hectares in size, and had breached the Saskatchewan border.
Alberta wildfire said more than 700 hectares of the fire was burning in Saskatchewan, northeast of Gordon Lake.
Weather in the coming days is expected to be cooler, and officials said it was hoped those conditions would help crews work to gain the upper hand on the blaze.
Larivee said homes in Fort McMurray are not considered to be at immediate risk, but a five unit condo complex on Silin Road in Thickwood was damaged Wednesday – the cause of the fire is unknown, and officials are investigating. The minister said the complex was the same one damaged in a fire earlier in the week.
Debit card distribution centres closing, but emergency funds still available
Larivee said Thursday that distribution centres set up for evacuees to pick up debit cards pre-loaded with emergency funds would close at noon on Friday.
However, starting on Monday, evacuees would still be able to pick up their funds at Alberta Works offices.
