Officials have stressed the wildfire that forced 80,000 people from their homes remained out of control and was likely to burn for weeks. That’s the area that has been burned since this thing started moving.
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The fire was 101,000 hectares (249,571 acres) on Friday and officials believed it could double in size.
They were among the first wave to reach safety in Wandering River, a hamlet about 200 kilometers (125 miles) south of Fort McMurray, where others like them were filling up their tanks at the local gas station. “In no way is this fire under control”, Notley said.
A report prepared by consulting firm KPMG on the Slave Lake fire said: “Everyone was caught off guard by how fast the fires advanced with this wind behind them”.
Alberta’s Deputy Premier Sarah Hoffman reiterated Clark’s speech about extracting and exporting natural resources from the west overseas in light of the disaster in Fort McMurray.
Fort McMurray is a remote oil town in central Canada with effectively only one road leading out. Non-essential staff have been evacuating and efforts to protect the site were under way.
The blaze in Alberta’s oil sands region will not be extinguished for “a very long time” until there is significant rain, he said.
“The fire may double in size in the forested areas today”, Notley said.
“These sites are very resilient to wildfires, largely because they’re free and clear of vegetation and trees”.
Notley said the fire was burning away from communities on Saturday, but weather conditions made fighting the fire more hard.
The Alberta oil sands are home to the third-largest oil reserves in the world, only trailing behind Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.
Parched: Fort McMurray before the fire.
Cecil Dickason, a Fort McMurray resident who was part of the convoy, said the battered city looked “awful”. Officers wore masks as they checked homes to make sure everyone was out. As many as 8,000 people have been airlifted to safety, reporter Dan Karpenchuk tells our Newscast unit.
“Another major energy company is shutting down operations near Fort McMurray”. There is no imminent threat to the plant but smoke from the fire is encroaching on the facility. He says although it’s not as hot Saturday as it has been since the fire ignited May 1, it remains extremely dry and windy. Morrison said cooler conditions were expected Sunday and Monday.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sgt John Spaans told CBC authorities were not certain how many were still left to travel south.
The last few mornings at the Halifax airport, the overnight flights from Alberta have spilled out the refugees from Fort Mac and surrounding communities and camps who are joining families on the East Coast.
A giant fireball is seen as a wild fire rips through the forest 16 km south of Fort McMurray, Alberta on highway 63 Saturday, May 7, 2016. At the center, tables were piled with clothes, towels and other items.
Philip Wylie, wife Suda and 13-month-old daughter Phaedra, were among those staying at the center after evacuating their apartment in Fort McMurray on Tuesday.
“Trees were blowing up against our vehicles”, Philip Wylie said of the caravan drive out of town.
“When we return to whatever the new normal is, how many jobs are there going to be in Wood Buffalo?” Then, in a matter of hours, she said she opened the blinds and “the sky was orange”.
Premier Christy Clark wrapped a two-day summit in Vancouver on Friday of Western and territorial leaders by emphasizing their concerns about the impact of the catastrophe. They arrived at The Bond Center late Wednesday night.
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Around 328 square miles have been scorched. That’s an area roughly the size of Calgary, Alberta’s largest city.
