A immense wildfire near Fort McMurray in Alberta, Canada, that has grownup to 10 times its original size has spread south, forcing more evacuations on Thursday after 88,000 people escaped the city in the nation's energy heartland.

The weather forecast said, “For cooler temperatures and possible rain, offering hope that controlling the blaze could become easier.”

Officials on the site were forced to evacuate a make-shift emergency operations centre for the second time in less than a day.

According to the authorities, “there had been no known casualties from the blaze itself, but fatalities were reported in at least one vehicle crash along the evacuation route.”