STAY CONNECTED: Have the stories that matter most delivered every night to your email inbox. Subscribe to our daily local news wrap.

More evacuation orders issued as rising rivers threaten Fort McMurray

Apr 27, 2020 | 8:26 AM

FORT MCMURRAY, Alta. – More residents of Fort McMurray have been ordered out of their homes as spring ice break-up causes flooding on the Athabasca and Clearwater rivers in and around the northern Alberta city.

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo issued evacuation orders for a number of streets in the city’s Lower Townsite neighbourhood.

It has also closed access to the entire area, including MacDonald Island, until further notice.

The evacuations include streets bordering the provincial court building and extend south to Platinum Hotels, which has been ordered cleared.

Evacuees have been asked to report to a registration centre at the Oil Sands Discovery Centre, which is about seven kilometres to the south.

On the advice of Alberta Health Services, the regional government has also issued a boil water advisory this morning for all areas of Fort McMurray north of Athabasca River bridges.