The wildfire, once measured in football fields, now sits at three times the size of Edmonton
It has been one week since the Fort McMurray wildfire known as "the beast" reared its ugly head. It continues to grow and has set its sights on Saskatchewan.
Wind gusts of 40 to 70 km/h were expected in the region Sunday, and there was light rain, as part of a cold front that's moving into northern Alberta.
The winds will help fuel the flames and what little moisture there is should not bring much relief to those battling the fire.
The wildfire outside of Fort McMurray, once measured in football fields, now sits at more than 2,000 square kilometres, three times the size of Edmonton.
"It certainly will increase in size today, and it's still listed as out of control and the conditions are still very dry. We do have some difficult weather, some interesting weather, coming up," said Matthew Anderson, wildfire information officer with Alberta Agriculture, speaking from Edmonton on Sunday.
Read more:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/fort-mcmurray-fire-sunday-1.3572347
Service vehicles drive out of the wildfires near Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, May 7, 2016. (Mark Blinch/Reuters)
The majority of vehicles and homes were destroyed in Fort McMurray's Beacon Hill neighbourhood. (Sylvain Bascaron/Radio-Canada)