A Fort McMurray man said he is exhausted after being evacuated twice – once from Fort McMurray then again from Anzac.
Mandatory evacuations in Fort McMurray started Monday while Anzac was placed under an evacuation order late Wednesday night.
Peter Callaghan, 65, has lived in Fort McMurray since 1978 but on fled as a wildfire grew out of control.
“I didn’t even have socks. What I’ve got on is what I’ve had on since then,” he said gesturing to his outfit.
Watch below: Raging flames force evacuees out of Anzac
Callaghan, his wife, daughter, grandson and friend quickly packed up but soon found themselves in traffic waiting to get out of town.
“You could see just billowing, billowing smoke. Fire was coming down the side of the hill. You can see Beacon Hill was just totally gone,” he said.
Callaghan said his car and truck ran out of gas while on the way to Anzac but fortunately police officers helped re-fuel his vehicles and generous residents offered his family a place to stay for the night.
READ MORE: Fort McMurray wildfire: Evacuee describes ‘eerie calm’ amid chaos
When Callaghan arrived in Anzac, he was placed in a camp where he finally got the chance to take a shower and wash his clothes.
Unfortunately that feeling of safety didn’t last long.
Rather than feeling frustrated, Callaghan said the second evacuation was more orderly than the first.
“It wasn’t utter chaos considering what was happening with so many people trying to evacuate,” he said.
READ MORE: Fort McMurray wildfire: When is the right time to evacuate in a disaster?
Callaghan is now staying at Northlands with his family, keeping a close eye on the fire and plotting out his next move, including going to Vancouver to stay with his son.
“The fire is so unpredictable. I’m pretty exhausted, pretty tired so I may move on and go somewhere else,” he said.
READ MORE: How Edmonton is helping Fort McMurray wildfire evacuees
As of Thursday night, Callaghan had no update on his house and whether it was still standing.
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