Fort McMurray is acknowledging the first anniversary since wildfires engulfed the city.
A gathering was organised for this evening but few people attended.
Many of those who have returned to the city are living with mixed emotions and say they’ve been re-living the experience daily.
Last May, the fires that had been advancing erratically on the city, burst into what firefighters called ‘the Beast’.
It forced the emergency evacuation in terrifying circumstances as cars and trucks moved bumper to bumper down the highway with towering flames only metres away along some stretches.
88,000 people left Fort MacMurray abandoning almost 2,600 homes and residences, and all the possessions they couldn’t take with them.
Local authorities estimate only about 73,000 have returned, suggesting a loss of about one-sixth of the population.
Premier Rachel Notley was in Fort McMurray today. She described the occasion as one of mourning and remembrance for Albertans.
She told the residents the province was very, very proud of them, and remembered the two teenagers who died in a head-on collision on the highway during the evacuation.
“We also mourn all that the fire took from people,” Notley said. “Their homes, their baby photos and all the belongings that helped anchor so many cherished memories.”
Considered Canada’s costliest insured disasters, the Fort McMurray wildfire cost $3.6 billion dollars (Cdn) in damage.
With files from CBC Edmonton
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