'It's been torture': N.L. families worry for loved ones fleeing Fort McMurray

As the fires continue to rage in Fort McMurray, Newfoundlanders and Labradorians with ties to the region are on the edge of their seats awaiting what comes next.

Many of them have loved ones in the city: spouses, children, cousins, and close friends.

On Tuesday, they worried as family members and friends fled the city, heading north to the camps or south to cities like Edmonton.

Far removed from their loved ones in Fort McMurray, there's one common sentiment among those stuck watching at home, and that's helplessness.

Michelle Hall said she spent a fretful night worrying about her cousin.

"She was quite distraught, almost incoherent, she was crying so much," said Hall

She said her cousin had to flee their neighbourhood and leave everything behind.

"They had seen a gas station in Beacon Hill explode, and she was very fearful that they would be burned before they got out of town and she was fearful for all the people who were stuck in traffic behind her," said Hall. 

I was still afraid that her or other people were going to be trapped in the fire on the highway and I didn't want to see it.- Michelle Hall

Thousands of miles away, Hall said she felt powerless.

"When I'm talking to her, she was crying, I was crying, and I knew there wasn't a thing I could do to help her," she said

While her cousin and other relatives in the city eventually made their way to safety, Hall said all she could do to stay calm was stay offline. 

"I could not check the photos last night on Twitter," she said.

"I was still afraid that her or other people were going to be trapped in the fire on the highway and I didn't want to see it."

Nothing you can do

Corner Brook's Ann Crossley has a son who lives with his family in Fort McMurray.

She held back tears as she told the Corner Brook Morning Show that it's been almost unbearable being so far away from them during this time of crisis.

"It's been torture, just torture. You don't realize the distance when everything's going fine," she said.

"There's nothing you can do, only sit and wait and hope to God that everything is fine."

It's been torture, just torture...There's nothing you can do, only sit and wait and hope to God that everything is fine.- Ann Crossley

Crossley said she was eventually able to touch base with her son and learned that his family did escape unharmed, but now she worries what will become of their home.

For Steady Brook's Donnie O'Keefe, last night was heart wrenching. 

His nine-year-old daughter, who lives in Fort McMurray with her mother, was forced to flee her home.

He was broken up as he described how her mother decided to leave work and take her daughter out of school to flee the city before the official evacuation order.

"They were leaving hoping they are able to go back and everything would still be there," he said.

"She's got a stuffed animal that she takes everywhere with her, so she had to make sure she got that."

O'Keefe said his daughter and her mother made it to safety in a trailer north of Fort McMurray, but now, like many others watching from N.L., he's unsure of what comes next.

"Today's a new day that holds a lot of unknowns," he said.