The devastating Fort McMurray wildfire could rage for months before firefighters are able to control it and will likely be the most expensive natural disaster in Canadian history.
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Dry and extremely windy conditions are fueling the blaze, which has scorched more than 1,560 square kilometers (602 square miles) and ravaged the city of Fort McMurray, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said Saturday.
A weeklong wildfire in Fort McMurray, in Canada’s Alberta province, has forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people and caused billions in damages, May 6, 2016.
The fire has struck in the heart of Canada’s energy industry and the mass evacuations forced as much as a quarter of Canada’s oil output offline.
“This is great firefighting weather, we can really get in here and get a handle on this fire”.
Chad Morrison, the province’s manager of wildfire prevention, said: “They are clear of vegetation and trees… they also have highly trained industrial fire departments that know how to respond to these incidents”. And even if the much-needed rainfall arrives, Morrison warned that “we’ll be here for weeks and weeks”.
The mammoth blaze has posed a colossal challenge to the 500 firefighters, 15 helicopters and 14 air tankers on the scene.
Both Suncor and Syncrude, the two Canadian oil companies with oil sands work sites in north of Fort McMurray, have evacuated their facilities as a precautionary measure.
Ms Notley said about 12,000 evacuees have been airlifted from oil sands mine air fields over the past two days, and about 7,000 left in highway convoys escorted by police.
All of more than 80,000 citizens of Fort McMurray have been completely evacuated, with fire having already partly devastated neighborhoods of this urban service area.
“It definitely is a positive point for us, for sure”, Morrison said at a news conference a day earlier.
Nick Waddington from the Fort McMurray Fire Department said one crew member saw his house burn down before going on to work an 18-hour shift. Besides the fire damage to structures, the power grid has been damaged, and the water is now undrinkable, Notley said.
Due to increasing temperatures, excessive winds and low humidity, officials fear that the fire could move to bordering Saskatchewan.
The temperature, which reached a high of 17 C (63°F) on Sunday, was expected to cool further, with Environment Canada forecasting a 40 percent chance of showers in Fort McMurray on Monday.
As James O’Reilly joined an exodus of thousands who’ve fled Fort McMurray, he watched his home become engulfed by flames live on his iPhone.
Rachel Notley, Alberta’s premier, said the blaze could reach the province’s border with Saskatchewan by the end of the day.
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“She didn’t back away”, the chief said.
