Alberta premier: 90 percent of buildings survived Fort McMurray wildfire

The premier of Alberta, Canada, says about 90 percent of the buildings in the city of Fort McMurray survived the enormous wildfire that broke out last week and forced more than 80,000 residents to evacuate.

Rachel Notley told reporters on Monday that the hospital and most of schools in the town are still standing, but 2,400 out of 25,000 structures were burned. "It's a miracle we got the entire population out safely," she said. While no one died during the fire, two people were killed in a car accident as they fled from the city.

On Monday, firefighters were able to turn a corner against the fire thanks to a light rain and favorable winds, officials said. Residents whose homes were destroyed will receive assistance from a $77 million fund set up by the provincial government. The wildfire is expected to be the costliest natural disaster in Canadian history, BBC News reports.

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