Forest fire forces evacuation of entire city

Evacuees were told to head north toward the oil sands camps after the fire breached the highway south of the city of about 80,000 people. The Canadian province of Alberta raced to evacuate the entire population of Fort McMurray where an uncontrolled wildfire was taking hold in the heart of the country’s oil sands region, with fears that dry winds,  could fuel the blaze.

Alberta appealed for military help to battle the fire and airlift people from the smoke-filled city after authorities issued a mandatory evacuation order for 80,000, but officials said army and air force assistance would take two days to arrive. About 44,000 people were estimated to be on the  roads, fleeing the city, while approximately 8,000 had reached an evacuation center outside Fort McMurray, officials said. “Right now, we have fire burning within the city,” Chief Darby Allen of Fort McMurray’s fire department said. “It is impacting communities. Homes are on fire.”

The 2,650-hectare fire, which was discovered on Sunday, shifted aggressively with the wind on Tuesday to breach city limits. The blaze closed off the main southern exit from the city, Highway 93, prompting many residents to head north towards the oil sands camps.

The southern route eventually reopened but traffic was quickly gridlocked in both directions. Gas stations throughout the area were out of fuel and police were patrolling the highway with gas cans. “This is the biggest evacuation we have seen in the history of the province,” Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said at a news conference, adding that there were no known casualties.

Alberta is much drier than normal for this time of year, strengthening prospects for a long and expensive wildfire season, in the wake of a mild winter. Suncor Energy, whose oil sands operations are closest to the city, said its main plant, 25 km north of Fort McMurray, was safe, but it was reducing crude production in the region to allow employees and families to get to safety.