The wildfire in Fort McMurray,Alberta, which is the biggest fire evacuation in Alberta’s history has now destroyed entire neighbourhoods, and officials say things may get worse before they get better, although at this time the one bit of good news is that there are no reports of deaths or injuries.
Temperatures are expected to peak at 30 degrees Celsius today and this could make it harder than ever to contain the blaze and forestry officials say wind direction could have a negative impact as well.
The area of Beaconhill appears to be hardest hit so far, with the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo reporting that 80 per cent of the houses there have been destroyed. The areas of Waterways and Abasand have also sustained “serious loss,” while some homes have also been lost in Dickinsfield and the downtown, as well as more than a dozen trailer homes on the city’s outskirts
The fire has been burning since Sunday and was quite small until the winds shifted causing the blaze to get out of control. Several fire crews were called in from Edmonton and elsewhere, arriving with a police escort to assist local firefighters. To add to this support, the city has requested help from the Canadian Armed Forces and the Royal Canadian Air Force, however their assistance isn’t expected for at least two days.
More than 80,000 people have already fled the city, heading south and north of the city. Several nearby towns have opened up evacuation centres trying to take in as many of the stranded as possible. Many residents are also offering up their homes, posting notices that they have space to share on social media.
The town has only two gas stations and two fast food outlets; all of them ran out of food at about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday night.
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SOURCES: YouTube, Jason Edmonson
