Lac La Biche County mayor Omer Moghrabi says county officials have reached out to the Municipality of Wood Buffalo to offer assistance with evacuees from a fire wreaking havoc in the Fort McMurray area.
Lac La Biche County mayor Omer Moghrabi says county officials have reached out to the Municipality of Wood Buffalo to offer assistance with evacuees from a fire wreaking havoc in the Fort McMurray area.
Residents of 12 residential areas in and around Fort McMurray have been ordered to evacuate their homes as a wildfire (lest estimated to be over 2,600 hectares in size this morning) encroaches on the city. Homes in two neighborhoods, Centennial Trailer Park and Beacon Hill, have been destroyed.
As the fire continues to grow, many Fort McMurray residents are leaving the city entirely. Moghrabi said Municipality of Wood Buffalo officials can send evacuees here if need be.
“Our doors are open, We’ re willing to house as many people as required,” he says, adding that local hotels and motels would likely be the first place county officials would look at putting evacuees. “We’ ll use hotel and motel space first... It would probably take as much time and effort to get the Bold [Center] ready. We’ ve got a lot of vacancy here, and we’ ll use it.”
Moghrabi says there are no official volunteering avenues set up for residents at the moment, but said they should open their doors to family or friends getting out of Fort McMurray, and keep the evacuees in their thoughts.
“I hope no lives are lost. Material things can be replaced. Our prayers are with them and we hope things improve,” he says.
The POST will update this story as information becomes available.
