Thousands of Fort McMurray wildfire evacuees who were forced to flee the fire north of the community earlier this week are now making their way south to safety.
At 6 a.m. Friday, the RCMP began escorting 50 vehicles at a time through Fort McMurray on Highway 63. Once safely through, the vehicles were being released from the convoy to head to accommodations in Edmonton and Calgary
Vehicles were not permitted to stop at any time but people who passed through the city said the sight was unbelievable.
“It was very Apocalyptic. It was very eerie. Never experienced anything like that in my life. Hopefully I never will,” Stuart McDonald, an evacuee, said.
“It’s terrible. It’s terrible. Things are burnt, it’s horrible,” Beverly Neal, who works at one of the camps that opened its doors to evacuees. “It’s not good at all.”
READ MORE: Homeowner watches his Fort McMurray house burn on security cam
Video obtained by Global News shows thick smoke still lingering in parts of Fort McMurray, and the ruin as drivers pass through portions of neighbourhoods that have been levelled.
Watch below: A look at the devastation inside Fort McMurray
While there is devastation, Alberta Wildrose Leader Brian Jean is feeling more optimistic after touring part of the community Friday. Jean, who has called Fort McMurray home for 50 years and lost his house in the fire, said he felt much more positive about the rebuild.
“We’re not out of the situation yet and we could still see some trouble depending on how the winds blow, but truthfully… today looks to be a little bit better of a day and we are looking, frankly, very optimistic considering where we could be today. Two days ago we thought it was going to be much worse.”
He said about 80 to 85 per cent of homes are in perfect shape, as is the major infrastructure, including city hall and the hospital.
“That’s very good news because that’s the type of infrastructure that’s most difficult and takes the longest to rebuild.”
Watch below: Aerial footage shows the devastation in Fort McMurray’s Abasand and Beacon Hill neighbourhoods
Jean said some of the communities on the south side of the community are badly damaged, including Beacon Hills and his neighbourhood, Waterways.
“It wasn’t pleasant to come home and come to my front driveway and see that my truck was melted into the pavement, nor that my house was about a foot tall. But you know what did make me happy was the fact that nobody was hurt,” he said.
READ MORE: How the Fort McMurray wildfire is creating its own weather
Jean said he is confident the community will band together to rebuild the community so it’s better than ever, and knows Canadians will be there to help.
“For years Fort McMurray has been supporting Canada and Alberta and now we need some back,” he said, holding back tears.
Watch below: Incredible footage takes us inside the fight against the Fort McMurray wildfire
By early Friday afternoon, about 1,200 to 1,400 vehicles had already made their way through Fort McMurray.
For the past few days about 25,000 evacuees have stayed at work camps north of Fort McMurray. They weren’t set up like other evacuation centres, but those who stayed in the camps said they were extremely appreciative of the accommodations and the hard work done to keep them safe.
READ MORE: Image of firefighters resting after saving homes in Fort McMurray goes viral
About 7,000 people north of Fort McMurray were flown out Thursday night.
As of Friday afternoon, the wildfire was about 100,000 hectares in size. More than 80,000 people have been forced from their homes.
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