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Fort McMurray Wildfire: Toronto man escapes flames, fire burning on both sides of car

Walls of flame rose on either side of Chris Evangelista's vehicle as the former Toronto man drove out of Fort McMurray Tuesday afternoon, half an hour before the wildfire prompted an official evacuation of his neighbourhood.

'I could feel the heat,' said Chris Evangelista as he drove out of the city

CBC News ·

Walls of flame rose on either side of Chris Evangelista's vehicle as the former Toronto man drove out of Fort McMurray, Alta., Tuesday afternoon, half an hour before the wildfire prompted an official evacuation of his neighbourhood. 

The exodus of thousands of vehicles caused traffic jams along Highway 63, which leads south out of the city toward Edmonton and Evangelista said he's thankful he got out before the road was closed. More than 29,000 people have been forced from their homes by the fire, the largest evacuation order due to wildfire in the province's history. 

"I could feel the heat," Evangelista told CBC News. He estimated the flames were just five metres away from him at one point as he drove out of the city. 

Evangelista said he first saw thick clouds of smoke billowing into the sky from the deck of his home, something he captured in photos and on video. 

Evangelista said he didn't give much thought to the danger that he was in, instead acting on instinct because he wanted to make sure he could get to a conference he was attending later in the week. 

It was only after he arrived at Anzac, a community about 35 kilometres southeast of Fort McMurray, that he said he realized how dangerous the drive had been. The video shows him driving past flaming trees just metres away from his vehicle. 

"It was only after, that's when I realized, 'Oh I actually was in a little bit of danger there when I left town.'" 

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