The fire has “waned” since Friday, though it remains the same size Saturday morning, said Alberta wildfire information officer Laura Stewart.
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Alberta senior wildlife manager Chad Morrison said the fire has burned the same amount of forest as all fires consumed in Alberta a year ago.
Thankfully the weather has changed and the region has a weekend of cooler weather with some rainfall ahead, which could help the fire fighters to get more of a grip on the spread of the blaze.
Evacuees returning to the charred Canadian oil sands city of Fort McMurray next month may have to contend with black bears who have been prowling the streets in search of food.
Morrison said the fire burned near Suncor Energy’s base plant and the Syncrude facility on Wednesday, but fire breaks held and the threat has diminished.
The wildfire at the heart of Canada’s energy industry has nearly doubled over the past week, ravaging an area more than five times bigger than New York City.
On Friday, Suncor said it planned to bring small numbers of employees back to its operations beginning as early as Monday in the first steps toward restarting production. Some 8,000 workers were evacuated.
The provincial government is planning a phased reentry over four days starting on June 1 for those who wish to go back.
Oil workers had begun to return to the oil facilities north and south of Fort McMurray to restart production.
Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. was far away from fires and could continue producing during the crisis.
Alberta’s oil sands come third after Venezuela and Saudi Arabia in having the largest oil reserves globally. West Texas Intermediate touched $48.95 a barrel Wednesday in NY, the highest since October. WTI fell 3 cents to $48.16 a barrel in New York Thursday.
According to the government’s weather forecast, rains are expected on Sunday.
The official twitter account of Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo has revealed that the mandatory evacuation orders for a number of work camp sites in Alberta’s oilsands near Fort McMurray have just been lifted.
Out of the frying pan, out of the fire and thankfully back home.
The fires also raise questions about contract terms, with some insurers hoping to claim a few times on reinsurance contracts thanks to interesting hours clause reinstatement terms, according to the Insider.
Meanwhile, Fire crews in Fort McMurray had to return to the same Thickwood condo complex yesterday that they were at earlier this week.
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The province’s uranium mines and mills, operated by Cameco Corp and Areva SA, are more than 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the boundary with Alberta, said Gary Delaney, Saskatchewan’s chief geologist.
