Fort McMurray has become a scene of devastation due to raging wildfires.

On Tuesday over 80,000 people were evacuated from the city and access to highway 63 south of the city has been closed.

Ken Thevenot, Fire Chief of the Okotoks Fire Department, says the weather is playing a significant role in preventing progress.

"The biggest problem they're facing right now would be the winds and how they swirl," he says. "This size of a fire would create it's own storm so it could be swirling on them and not so much the flames would impede them but it would be the ashes and the smoke that would probably at some point turn them away because they just couldn't manage their areas to fight these fires."

Ken Thevenot, Fire Chief of the Okotoks Fire Department.

Thevenot says the Okotoks Fire Department will be ready to help battle the blaze if they're given the go-ahead.

"I have spoken to other fire chiefs in our area and also our provincial representative, duty officer, for our area and right now we're in a holding pattern and we'll take information and any direction from the province and the fire commissioner's office if any assistance is required."

Communities neighbouring Fort McMurray have opened evacuation centres to help displaced residents.

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