Emergency officials to provide updates today as wildfire forces thousands to flee Fort McMurray

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A wildfire that forced more than 6,600 people from their homes in Fort McMurray continues to grow, threatening a northeastern Alberta community that was ravaged by fire eight years ago.

Four Fort McMurray neighbourhoods — Beacon Hill, Abasand, Prairie Creek and Grayling Terrace — were evacuated Tuesday as a wildfire grew dangerously near. 

As of Wednesday morning, the fire had consumed nearly 21,000 hectares of forest, after almost doubling in size the day before, and moved closer to the community as it spread rapidly toward the northwest. 

After days of volatile fire activity, a favourable change in the weather is expected Wednesday with cooler temperatures and weaker winds that is expected to push the fire away from homes and businesses. 

Provincial officials, including Premier Danielle Smith, Minister of Forestry and Parks Todd Loewen, and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services Mike Ellis, will provide an update on the wildfire response in Fort McMurray today at 10:30 a.m.

Emergency and government officials with the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo will provide an additional update at 11:30 a.m. CBC News will carry both news conferences live online. Watch them here.

The fire spread rapidly Tuesday, fanned by parched conditions, high temperatures and extreme winds that pushed the flames toward the community's southwestern edge.

Black plumes of smoke funnelled across the sky Tuesday as the wildfire began to consume areas previously burned in 2016, when a wildfire forced the largest evacuation in Alberta history and destroyed thousands of homes and other structures. 

It was a familiar scene for many Fort McMurray residents as trucks and cars clogged all roads leading south and firefighters prepared to again defend the city, including many streets destroyed by fire eight years ago.   

WATCH l Thousands leave their homes as Fort McMurray wildfire threatens: 

Outside the evacuation zone, the rest of Fort McMurray, and some surrounding communities in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, remain on evacuation alert — with residents needing to be ready to leave on short notice.

The wildfire continues to burn out of control. As of Wednesday morning, the closest point of the fire was about 5.5 km from the Fort McMurray landfill on the southern outskirts of the community and 4.5 km from the intersection of highways 63 and 881— the only highways leading south out of the oilsands hub.

Firefighters have contended with extreme conditions and crews were pulled from the front lines Tuesday due to dangerous conditions, pushing the firefight into the sky.