Alberta Premier Rachel Notley is hoping a survey of the devastation in Fort McMurray that is beginning today will help her government develop a timeline for people to return home.

Early pictures and video are showing charred neighbourhoods, with burned out hulks of vehicles sitting in driveways where homes have been reduced to piles of ash.

In Swift Current, many residents have responded with compassion and generosity - including Peavey Mart, who held a BBQ fundraiser for the fire disaster victims of Fort McMurray.

"We did very well - lots of traffic lots of people." said Dennis Wiebe, Swift Current's Peavey Mart manager. "We raised approximately $2365 for the Red Cross today."

Wiebe plans to take advantage of donation matching programs with Safeway and the federal government.

"There were a lot of conversations around the table as we're serving burgers and hot dogs. People were talking about it and how awful it is and how much they need help, so they gave," Wiebe said.

The last damage assessment estimated 16-hundred structures, mostly homes, burned in Fort McMurray's south and southwest areas.