The gargantuan fire is currently raging through 101,000 hectares of land, senior wildfire manager Chad Morrison told reporters on Friday. Temperatures are expected to reach 27° Celsius on Saturday, which could double the size of the fire by the end of the day, Morrison added.

Meanwhile it is shown that a Canadian man who fled his Fort McMurray-area home on Tuesday (May 3) as wildfires edged closer to his house, was able to see the blaze's impact on his home through a home security camera.

On Friday, Alberta received reinforcements from Ontario, Quebec, and the Northwest Territories, including 11 new air tankers.

The total number of buildings destroyed by the fire has not been updated from the previous estimate of 1,600, and could now be much higher. Media reports are saying that the firefighters don’t have time to keep track of the numbers at this point.

At least another 18 structures were destroyed in the small neighboring community of Anzac after the wildfire reached the area on Thursday.

Officials are warning that it could take weeks to extinguish the massive fire, adding that rain is badly needed. So far, the firefighters have only been able to prevent the fire from reaching a number of communities, but otherwise their progress has been minimal.

The most recent estimate expects that anywhere from 900,000 to one million barrels of oil sands production has been lost. The area usually produces about 1.4 million barrels per day.

Northern Alberta is not Canada’s only wildfire hotspot, as warm winds in northern British Columbia are making things extremely difficult for firefighters battling a number of blazes there.

The latest evacuation was ordered for around 1,000 people living near Fort St. John in British Columbia due to the Beatton Airport Road fire, which has grown to 12,000 hectares.

Moreover, another 5,000 people residing along the Alaska Highway are also being told to be ready to leave at the moment’s notice.

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