Residents excited to come home as evacuation order, alerts lifted in northeastern Alberta

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Meredith Stanfield hoped she would be allowed into her neighbourhood Saturday morning to pick up a phone charger and a few days' worth of cat litter for her three pet felines.

Stanfield lives in Prairie Creek, one of four neighbourhoods in Fort McMurray, Alta., that was affected by an evacuation order due to a nearby wildfire. She was among thousands of 6,600 residents forced to flee on Tuesday.

When she reached the perimeter, a law enforcement official informed her she could return home permanently.

"I'm really excited now," said Stanfield, who has been staying at the Pomeroy Hotel in Fort McMurray since the order was issued Tuesday.

"I can't wait to turn around, go get all my stuff and my cats and go home."

A wildfire, burning about 5.5 kilometres southwest of Fort McMurray, has grown to about 19,500 hectares since it ignited on May 9.

The fire sparked an evacuation alert over a week ago, affecting Anzac, Draper, Fort McMurray, Fort McMurray First Nation, Gregoire Lake, Saprae Creek estates and Rickards Landing Industrial Park. The alert meant people had to prepare to leave on short notice, but some residents, with memories of the 2016 wildfire, left pre-emptively.

On Tuesday, the regional municipality issued a local state of emergency. An evacuation order issued that day for four Fort McMurray neighbourhoods — Prairie Creek, Beacon Hill, Abasand and Grayling Terrace — forced about 6,600 people to flee their homes.

The fire is still deemed out of control. But on Saturday morning, emergency and government officials expressed gratitude for firefighters and recent — and forecasted — weather, which stymied the local fire risk enough to lift all emergency alerts.

"If you've never had the opportunity to see the fire chief dancing in the rain, you missed your opportunity early this morning," said regional fire Chief Jody Butz during Saturday's wildfire update.

Alberta Wildfire and municipal officials decided to lift the evacuation order and emergency alerts for several reasons, according to a news release issued by the municipality Saturday.

Recent rainfall and cool temperatures calmed the wildfire and firefighters were able to make "significant progress" toward containing the northeast edge. Crews were also able to finish building fire guards in that portion, as well as in Fort McMurray, which will help prevent the fire from encroaching on the community, its landfill and Highway 63 — the city's main thoroughfare, the release says.

About 20 millimetres of rain has recently fallen on the wildfire, including about 10 millimetres Friday, leading to lower fire activity Saturday, said Josee St-Onge, an Alberta Wildfire public information officer.