The fire’s proximity to the only access road to the facilities forced the company to close the production and send staff home.
Cenovus executive vice-president and COO John Brannan said: "The safety of staff is our first priority and this was a massive coordinated effort that got 1,800 people off our site safely and quickly."
Jointly owned by Cenovus and ConocoPhillips, the Foster Creek produces approximately 67,500 barrels per day (bbls/d).
The Athabasca natural gas operation currently produces around 20 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) of gas. majority of the output is used as fuel for Foster Creek facility.
Cenovus has produced around 218,000 bbls/d from its assets in the first quarter this year.