Stinky and rotten: Dealing with the fridges of Fort McMurray

Seafood,lettuce, moose meat all left behindto rot inthe fridges and kitchensof Fort McMurrayas residents fled the wildfire.

But now that many are coming home, smellyfridges areone of the first things being dealt with, packed with all that food that's been sitting in the heat for nearly a month.Several insurancecompanies have told people not to open their fridges and toconsider them condemned.

• Day SixConnie Shields has a plan for Fort McMurray's stinking, condemned fridges
• Residents of hardest-hit Fort McMurray neighbourhoods still waiting to return

Connie Shields is the president ofMIB Moving,one of the two companiesdealing with removing fouled fridges from houses.

All the food inside is making the fridges very heavy for her crew.

Day 68:20Connie Shields has a plan for Fort McMurray's stinking, condemned fridges

Many Fort McMurray residents are back home after forest fires raged in their city. And one of the first orders of business will be dealing with fridges full of rotten food. Connie Shields, President of Fort McMurray's MIB Movers, tells Brent her plan.

"The guys are literally breaking their backs getting these fridges out full."

One of Shields' movers,Matt Walsh, says that doesn't mean the food doesn't get out.

"When you're bringing them down the stairs, sometimes the contents of the fridge likes to shift and, you know, you can wind up with some little leaks and some pretty great smells," he says.

"I don't know if anyone's ever gone on vacation and maybe left some dirty dishes in the sink and when you come back this is times that by 10."

The fridges can't stay curbside, though, given that Fort McMurray is "bear country," Shields said. She has arranged to drop off the fridges at the local landfill. The foul organic matter needs to be removed first and treated separately.

"Double-bagged in special heavy-duty bags into the garbage", Shields says.

The crew has been taking extra precautions, wearingcoveralls, gloves and respirators.

Shields says the wildfirecleanup will take months, or maybe evenyears. But she's confident the city will rebound.

"Fort McMurray is maybe a little different than some places," she said. "Everyone's coming back with their sleeves rolled up."