Fort McMurray fire victims expect to remain in Calgary a long time

Many of the 500 people who have arrived in Calgary to escape the Fort McMurray fires say they're preparing to stick around for the long haul.

"I think it's going tobe months because all the infrastructure is damaged," saysMuhammadWaseem, who arrivedin Calgary withhis family on Thursday, after spending two nights at aSuncorcamp north of Fort McMurray.

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Waseem is one of the more than 100 people staying at Ambrose University College in Calgary's south west.

"I'm not sure whether we will be able to get a rental or apartment,"Waseem said.

SAIT was one of the first reception centres to open in Calgary. Less than a day later, it filled all 400spaces.

Many are choosing to stay in a hotel until they figure out their next steps.

Blair Hancock and Rochelle McIntyre say they hope the Alberta Red Cross can get them some clothes to wear.

"Basically what we've got on is what we left with," Hancock told CBC News.