Jason Wheeler, seen in this undated handout photo, won the $1,000,002.00 draw on Lotto 6/49. The Fort McMurray resident told the Western Canada Lottery Corporation that he received help from various organizations after being evacuated due to the wildfire that tore through the city, and wanted to donate part of his winnings to give back. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Western Canada Lottery Corporation, *MANDATORY CREDIT*

Fort McMurray evacuee wins lotto, will donate to charities that helped family

FORT MCMURRAY, Alta. – A lottery winner from Alberta who was among the thousands forced to flee a huge wildfire in Fort McMurray says he plans to give back to charities that helped his family.

Jason Wheeler won $1 million in the July 6 Lotto 6-49 Extra draw.

Wheeler says the Canadian Red Cross, the SPCA and food banks provided help when his family had to evacuate because of the fire in May.

He says he wants to return the favour with donations to those organizations.

The wildfire that spread into the city on May 3 forced more than 80,000 people to leave their homes for nearly a month and destroyed roughly 2,400 homes and other buildings.

Wheeler says he also plans to pay all of his bills, help his family and buy a golf cart for his campsite.

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Kim Anderson

Originally from a northern B.C. town that boasts a giant fly fishing rod and a population of 3,100, Kim moved to Kamloops in 2011 to attend Thompson Rivers University. Kim is as comfortable behind a camera as she is writing on her laptop. After graduating with a degree in journalism, Kim has been busy with an independent freelance writing project and photography work. Contact Kim at kanderson@infonews.ca with news tips or story ideas.

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