A helicopter carries fire retardant to a wildfire burning in a Fort McMurray neighbourhood on Wednesday, May 4, 2016. (photograph by Chris Schwarz/Government of Alberta)

As the Fort McMurray wildfire rages and fire risk remains high to extreme across much of the West, the many stories of people stepping up to help the evacuees are moving, but not altogether surprising.

Trying to find an Albertan without a connection to the Fort McMurray region is pretty well impossible. If you don’t personally have a friend or relative who has spent time in McMurray, chances are you know someone who does.

For people like me with loved ones forced out of their homes and sent north of the city, the uncertainty of the situation is perhaps the most worrisome – will the fires move north, will there be a home to come back to, when will they be able to get out, get somewhere safe?

My fiancé, who works for a major transportation company in Fort Mac, is one of the tens of thousands of fire evacuees. He has been working around the clock this week co-ordinating the busing of evacuees – first out of the city to camps, then from camps to be airlifted out. Today, he is one of the lucky ones who started the long trek down Hwy 63. Officials estimate 15,000 people are still north of the city.

The relief of seeing him again is huge. So many lives have been changed by this disaster. We know the people of Fort McMurray will emerge strong. To rebuild, they will need the support of Alberta, the West and all of Canada. As the wildfire season continues, let’s keep doing what we do best – helping each other out.

Donations made to the Canadian Red Cross will be matched by both the Government of Alberta and the Government of Canada. If you’d like to donate, click here.

Naomi Christensen is a policy analyst