Frustration grows as evacuated Fort McMurray residents remain homeless

Frustration is growing in Fort McMurray, where many residents evacuated from an apartment complex said Monday, they have no idea when they'll be able to return home.

About 300 residents are homeless after a safety commission ordered them to suddenly get out of seven apartment buildings on Friday night.

The evacuation of the 168 units at Penhorwood Apartments is based on a condo report that questioned the safety of the building's foundation.

Residents were rushed out of the building with little more than clothes on their backs and are now staying in hotels or with family and friends.

Dozens are in limbo, telling Global Edmonton they had just 15 minutes or so to gather their belongings before vacating the building.

That includes tenants Casey Flight and Gord Maynard, who woke on Saturday morning to find the building had already been cleared and somehow, they were missed in the emergency evacuation order the night before.

When it was discovered they were still inside the building, they were told to leave, and say they were given only 10 minutes to grab their belongings.

"We're not allowed back in to get nothing, on the order of the RCMP," Flight said. "If we go back in we'll be fined and jailed."

"Everything I own is in that apartment," said Maynard.

The pair, who also share an apartment with Maynard's wife, are now footing the bill for a hotel and are looking for a new apartment, but say they're frustrated that their building had been deemed structrually unsafe and especially, that they weren't notified any earlier.

Fort McMurray Mayor Melissa Blake says the short time frame tenants were given in order to evacuate was a necessary precaution.

"Ultimately everybody was asked to leave with not very much notice at all and again related to safety more than anything at all," Blake said.

For now all residents can do is wait to hear what engineers have to say once they inspect the building.

Engineers are expected to inspect the building on Tuesday, and a meeting is scheduled Tuesday night to update residents on the situation.

With files from Laurel Clark