Residents of Canadian oil town menaced by wildfire can return home

19/5/2024 7:20

        Residents of the Canadian oil town threatened by an out-of-control wildfire can return home, authorities said Saturday, even as they warned the community will have to contend with the blaze for the foreseeable future.
        
        Thousands of residents of Fort McMurray, in northern Alberta, had been ordered to leave their homes earlier this month. But favourable weather made a return home possible.
        
        "With the current and forecast weather conditions, specifically the amount of rain that has fallen on the fire, combined with continued fire suppression and community protection efforts, I am pleased to announce it is now safe for us to end the current evacuation and allow people to return to their homes," said Sandy Bowman, mayor of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo that includes Fort McMurray.