Fort MacKay

Fort MacKay, or Fort McKay, is a community in northeast Alberta, Canada that is located at the confluence of the Athabasca and MacKay rivers. It is approximately 54km north of Fort McMurray via Highway 63 and Fort McKay Road. The community has an elevation of 260m.The majority of the community, known as Fort McKay, is situated on lands of the Fort McKay First Nation (FMFN). The smaller portion of the community, known as Fort MacKay, is located adjacent to the FMFN lands to the south within the Regional Municipality (RM) of Wood Buffalo. The portion of the community within the RM of Wood Buffalo is designated as a hamlet.HistoryThe community was named in 1912 after Dr. Williams Morrison McKay, the first president of the Northern Alberta Medical Association. Despite this, the official spelling of the hamlet's name is Fort MacKay according to the RM of Wood Buffalo and Alberta Municipal Affairs. The community's name is spelled Fort McKay by the Fort McKay First Nation. In August 2012, the Fort McKay Métis Community requested the RM of Wood Buffalo to change the name of the hamlet to Fort McKay.2016 wildfireFort MacKay hosted 5000 evacuees from the 2016 Fort McMurray Wildfire but itself was put under an evacuation notice due to the northward advance of the flames toward the community.