A Coquitlam man is breathing a sigh of relief after learning members of his family managed to flee Fort MacMurray to Edmonton as a devastating wildfire destroyed homes in several neighborhoods.
Rob Bottos said his fiancé's sister and husband managed to escape by car from their downtown apartment complex but only after several tense hours were spent worried about what to do.
"I told them the news is saying 'get out', 'get out', but they said 'all the roads are jammed, we can't get out."
However the couple did manage to leave at about 6 p.m. Tuesday, driving to Edmonton to find a place to stay, just as the fire department was issuing a full evacuation order for the town's 60,000 residents.
They are now living in a Holiday Inn in Edmonton, hoping for news of when they can return, Bottos said.
"They saw lots of chaos, lots of abandoned cars, luckily they were able to get gas before they left for Edmonton."
According to the Fort MacMurray fire department website, a full evacuation order for the northern Alberta city was put in place at about 6:25 p.m. on Tuesday May 3.
