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Firefighters hold the line in McMurray Sunday

(Photo Supplied: A firefighters battles works in Fort McMurray on May. 7, 2016. RCMP Alberta / TWITTER)

Wildfire crews got a good head start on the blazing beast Sunday before winds turned and made the fire behavior intense into the evening.

“They were successful in holding the line in [Timberlea, Thickwood, Gregoire Lake Estates, Anzac],” said Leah Lovequist, Information Officer. “[Holding the line] keeping the fire from entering the subdivision with dozer guards, using hoses and pumps to soak the lines and extinguish the fires edge.”

Cooler temperatures, a little bit of rain and higher humidity made for a great morning of fighting the 161,000 hectare blaze. There are currently more than 500 firefighters in and around Fort McMurray, along with 15 helicopters, 14 air tankers and 88 other pieces of heavy equipment. The fire is expected to grow and move to the northeast Monday, away from the Fort McMurray and oilsands sites.

The biggest news of the day however was that by 10 a.m. Sunday there were no more evacuees remaining in camps to the north meaning that 25,000 people had successfully been moved south.

“Our goal yesterday [Saturday] was to complete the evacuation of the 25,000 residents who fled to the north of Fort McMurray. I’m pleased to saw we have succeeded. Thank you so much to everyone involved in all of these efforts to get people to safety.”

According to the province ATCO has 250 employees on the ground working to restore the power grid in the city and assess the gas infrastructure. Preliminary plans are being made regarding re-entry into Fort McMurray, but details are still unclear and a date has not yet been determined.

Highway Travel

Highway 63 is still blocked at the junction with Highway 881, only southbound traffic from Fort McMurray is allowed. Emergency responders and disaster relief efforts are the only ones being allowed into the city.

While Highway 881 is closed at Conklin due to the wildfire.

Red Cross

The Red Cross has started sending confirmation emails to those who have registered online, look for those in your inbox.

If you haven’t registered with the Red Cross you can do so online, or by phone at 1-888-350-6070.

So far 36,831 households have registered.