Alberta’s premier declared Canada’s oil-sands city safe and said a plan would be put together within two weeks so 88,000 residents could return to their homes.

Authorities say they have reached a turning point in the battle against an enormous wildfire and are hoping to get a "death grip'" on the blaze that has ravaged parts of Canada's oil sands city of Fort McMurray amid cooler temperatures and light rain.

Alberta has declared a state of emergency as crews battle to hold back wildfires that have destroyed 1,600 homes and buildings in Canada’s main oil sands city of Fort McMurray, forcing more than 80,000 people to flee.