There are still no confirmed deaths or missing persons directly associated with the fire.
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Real estate websites are littered with listings for sprawling Fort McMurray homes with asking prices approaching $1 million (about $750,000 U.S.) – double Canada’s average home price – in neighborhoods that are now charred and smoldering amid Alberta’s largest-ever evacuation for a fire.
Nine air tankers, a dozen helicopters and around 250 firefighters were battling the flames, and the military has been put on alert.
The RMWB declared a state of emergency Tuesday but the Government of Alberta has not.
“This is a nasty, dirty fire. And our challenge today is to prevent”, said Chief Darby Allen of the Fort McMurray fire department.
Block said they expected to rotate the firefighters out of the community every three days until they were no longer needed.
Surrounded by thick boreal forest and vast oil sands deposits, hundreds of kilometres from the nearest major city, Fort McMurray was deeply reliant on a single commodity. All of the flights entering and exiting Fort McMurray have been canceled.
Scott Long of Alberta Emergency Management said the flames had burned a number of structures, but couldn’t say how many.
“We are going to ask you to stay where you are so that we can utilize all roads”, he said.
Earlier this morning, Trudeau said the support shared coast-to-coast highlights the generosity of Canadians. He said he had offered the province his government’s full support and encouraged Canadians to support friends and donate to the Red Cross.
“Canada is a country where we look out for our neighbors and we are there for each other in hard times”. It is worth noting that grounds of Alberta contain the third-largest oil reserves in the world. Mr Allen said he was not aware of any threat to oil facilities but called the fire a “moving animal”.
“Our thoughts are with the residents in the Fort McMurray area who have been impacted by the severe wildfires”, said Rich Kruger, Chairman, President and CEO. Oil sands work camps are being pressed into service to house thousands of people.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Dodge said the couple had no idea what had happened to their home.
At about 4:30 p.m., Wood Buffalo officials said Saprae Creek residents must evacuate immediately to Firehall 5 – officials were urging anyone who knows someone living there to contact them and tell them to get out.
Officials were also evacuating non-essential staff at Suncor’s base plant. “I’m afraid that huge parts of my home town… may burn tonight and will continue to burn”, Brian Jean, leader of Alberta’s official opposition party, told CBC Radio, saying his own home was in the immediate path of the flames.
The 32-year-old has worked for Syncrude for two years, most recently at a camp about 45 minutes north of Fort McMurray. Spokeswoman Chelsie Klassen stated that most of the oil in the vicinity lied deep underground and that it was not likable to be reached by the flames.
“I just couldn’t believe how fast that fire moved in”.
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Stars coach Lindy Ruff and Blues coach Ken Hitchcock are each from Alberta, and said the hockey community is grieving. “If you’re looking at four times that of Slave Lake you’re getting to well over C$2 billion ($1.6 billion) so there is a possibility that this may become the biggest catastrophic claim in Canada”, said DBRS analyst Stewart McIlwraith. “When I opened the door to the hallway it was burning my eyes and when I went outside it was burning my throat”. He said RV campsites were destroyed.
