The entire country's watching the huge fire that's forced evacuations from Fort McMurray, Alberta, but for Portage la Prairie resident Tim Brydges, it's close to home.

He's worked in the area for a number of years, but is back in Portage right now. He describes the feeling watching the fire on TV.

Tim Brydges

"It's just really devastating to see how fast things can change, and such an area get evacuated. I don't know if most people know, but it's a bigger than brandon, it's a huge area, and they had to evacuate everything.?

Brydges says his brother Allan is still near Fort McMurray, but not anywhere in serious danger. However, the house he was living in has been reported destroyed, along with many on the same street. Tim Brydges says his brother's still waiting for official confirmation.

"From what he understands, pretty much everyone right now is looking for confirmation. A lot of these areas are closed, but they need that confirmation of what's gone, and some people are just waiting on that. But from what we understand, his street is a total loss."

Despite what's happening, Brydges intends to return work once the fire's controlled.