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Fort McMurray, Alta., reflects two years after wildfire ravaged city

Last Updated May 3, 2018 at 6:40 pm MDT

Builders work on a new home in the Beacon Hills area after wildfires last year destroyed most of the neighbourhood in Fort McMurray, Alta. Friday, April 21, 2017. More than 500 families are living in newly built homes two years after a massive wildlfire roared through parts of Fort McMurry.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Todd Korol

FORT MCMURRAY, Alta. – More than 500 families are living in newly built homes two years after a wildfire roared through parts of Fort McMurray, Alta.

The flames in May 2016 forced more than 80,000 people to flee the area for at least a month.

The fire destroyed more than 2,500 buildings, including many homes.

Fire Chief Jody Butz says mental health continues to be a big issue for the first responders who faced the wildfire that was dubbed “The Beast.”

But Butz says he believes his staff are in a much better place mentally now.

He says the biggest change for him is knowing that people in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo have a lot more knowledge about emergency preparedness. (CFVR)