Canadian oil sands cleared for re-entry near fire-ravaged Fort McMurray

Crews fighting the wildfire up at Fort McMurray are looking for more rain, but the conditions are hopefully starting to turn.

More than 1,000 firefighters from across Canada, the U.S., South Africa and other countries will soon join the roughly 1,200-member fire crew already in Fort McMurray.

Senior wildlife manager Chad Morrison says the blaze continues to move northeast away from communities and oilsands facilities in northern Alberta.

“There always is that potential”, that flames could cross the firebreaks around the Suncor and Syncrude facilities, that firefighters patrol, Morrison said.

The fire has shut down about half of the oil sands’ production capacity, though some producers are beginning to come back online.

“Fire behavior has certainly calmed down”, Laura Stewart, an Alberta wildfire information officer, said by phone on Monday.

Fort McMurray itself still sits largely empty after its entire population of almost 90,000 was evacuated when the fire hit earlier this month.

The fire destroyed entire neighbourhoods when it tore through Fort McMurray on May 3 and 4, but most of the city remained standing.

Cogeneration electric plants’ output around Fort McMurray edged up to 477 megawatts by early Monday from 455 MW Friday afternoon, according to the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO). On Friday, several work camps north of the town saw mandatory evacuation orders lifted.

The province said the phased and voluntary re-entry of evacuees was still scheduled to start on June 1 – however, services will not be fully operation by that date, and some evacuees may want to wait to return to get personal items, but go back to their temporary accommodation for the time being. Air scrubbers were used to make it safe again – there was no significant damage to the building. Gas and power have been restored to about 90% of undamaged structures in the oil sands city.

Fort McMurray International Airport announced Tuesday that commercial air service will hopefully resume on June 10. And the RCMP detachment has now restarted its local office, with the majority of personnel returned.

Both Athabasca and JACOS operate sites in the Hangingstone area southwest of Fort McMurray.

The fire situation remains extreme in our province.

This map from the provincial government tracks rain levels in Alberta over recent days.