Bridge collapse north of Fort McMurray strands residents

EDMONTON- Emergency officials say approximately 20 to 25 people are stranded northeast of Fort McMurray after a bridge collapsed Saturday evening.

The north bank of the Firebag River Bridge washed out around 5:00 p.m. Saturday. The bridge is located about 100 kilometres northeast of Fort McMurray, and about 40 kilometres north of the drop-off point on the seasonal winter road.

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“That bridge initially eroded on the north side of the bridge and later eroded on the southern part of the bridge and it’s impassable,” said Darby Allen, Regional Fire Chief and Director of Emergency Management.

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB) says most of the people stranded on the north side of the river bank were there for recreational purposes.

“These people are in there on quads and it’s a recreational area,” Allen added.

Emergency officials are using helicopters to transport power poles and lumber to construct a makeshift bridge.

“What we’re basically going to do is, we ‘re going to get some power poles up there, lay them across the spans and then 2 x 10 some strapping and planking on there which will allow the quads to come off,” Allen said over the phone from Fort McMurray Sunday evening.

“We’re having issues getting enough poles up there right now, because of the distance and the fuel capacity of the helicopter. So we’re trying to get those resources up there as soon as we can so that we can get that bridge built at both ends and get those people out of there,” Allen added.

As emergency crews work to reach those who are stranded, RMWB has lifted the mandatory evacuation order in Ptarmigan Trailer Court. However, residents will remain on voluntary evacuation alert.

RCMP will be assisting with re-entry to the neighbourhood. Only local traffic will be allowed through the area.

Emergency officials, and Fort McMurray’s mayor, are warning residents to use caution as they head home, as water levels on Saline Creek remain high.

“This has been an extremely difficult week for many of our residents, and in particular for the residents of this neighbourhood,” said Mayor Melissa Blake. “We want to thank them for their patience and resilience during this trying time.

“We also remind all of our residents to continue to be careful around fast streams and rivers, as there is still a need for extreme caution in these areas.”

Water levels in the city remain high. However, weather conditions are expected to remain sunny throughout the week in Fort McMurray.

Now that all mandatory evacuation orders have been lifted, the municipality has closed its emergency reception centre at Frank Lacroix Arena.

However, affected residents who still require support are encouraged to contact the citizen inquiry line at 780-762-3639 or by email at flood.info@woodbuffalo.ab.ca.

Once the public safety concerns have been lifted, community assistance may be required in the next few days to help with sandbag removal.  Residents wanting to help out are encouraged to register their contact information with the municipality’s volunteer hotline at 780-788-4345 or visit the Volunteer Wood Buffalo Facebook page.

A map of the location of the Firebag River Bridge has been provided below:

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