About 6,000 residents in four southern suburbs were ordered to evacuate on Tuesday, raising hopes that improved weather could help firefighters bring down a massive blaze threatening Canada’s oil hub, Fort McMurray. was shattered.
The wildfires grew into a major threat in May and began moving toward Fort McMurray, a city of about 68,000 people and a major logistics hub for Canada’s oil sands industry. If the town is shut down due to wildfires, more than 1 million barrels of oil production per day is at risk.
Fire officials were alerted after the wind changed and light rain fell in the area. hope Residents were placed on high alert as a precaution, but the city said there may not be a need to evacuate. Fort McMurray was devastated by wildfires in 2016, so the remote, heavily forested town doesn’t take the threat of fire lightly.
Resident Dale Piller photographs the remains of his home destroyed by a wildfire in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, on June 3, 2016. (Daryl Dyke/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
While further wind shifts may be on the way, the wildfire has significantly expanded and resumed its march, coming within eight miles of the Fort McMurray suburb. prompt Thousands of evacuation advisories.
“We’re seeing extreme fire behavior. We’re seeing smoke columns and the sky is filled with smoke,” Alberta wildfire information officer Jose St-Onge said Tuesday.
The city of Saint-Onge said firefighters had to be pulled back for safety reasons as local wind speeds increased to about 40 km/h and the fire expanded to more than 51,000 acres.
Fire officials said Fort McMurray is much better prepared for large wildfires than it was in 2016, but in addition to those under evacuation orders, many voluntarily evacuated. It is reported that many people do.
“People aren’t waiting for orders. They’re already going. It’s depressing. I’m 71 years old and I don’t want to go through this again. It’s terrible,” said the Fort McMurray resident. Elsie Nister, who lives downtown, said Tuesday.
Owner Susie Gerendi Said She was already packed and ready to leave when the evacuation order was issued. By Tuesday afternoon, she was already on her way to Edmonton with her dog.
“It’s a very, very dark orange color. It brings back some memories and I don’t feel good,” said Gerendy, who survived the 2016 fire.
“I think the worst thing right now is the unknown, not knowing if you have a home to go to.” Said Marina Burns, an evacuee who has lived in Abassand, outside Fort McMurray, for four years.
“I saw an orange light from my balcony, which is at the very back of the flat in Abasand where I live. So if the fire reached Abasand, my building would be the first to be affected. It will be,” she said.
On May 14, 2024, a fire breaks out in western Canada, causing smoke to rise. (Cheyenne Bellow/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Crisis Management Director Jody Butts Said One advantage for Fort McMurray is that a new fire called MWF-017 is about to crawl through the same terrain as the 2016 fire. The previous fire, known locally as “The Beast,” destroyed much forest and unreconstructed structures, so MWF-017 cannot use as much fuel to cover the same track.
Butts said while he understands the fearful memories surrounding the Beast, residents who are not currently under evacuation orders should remain in place and residents who are in more immediate danger will be given time and space to evacuate. I called out.
“Please allow these communities to evacuate first. It’s important that we approach this in a safe, orderly and respectful manner,” Butts said.
Some of those who left voluntarily recalled how quickly the 2016 fires spread, forcing them to panic and evacuate with minimal belongings and supplies, fearfully taking their children and pets with them. Some people voluntarily refuted that they remembered it not being there. They said they wanted to leave earlier this time in a more calm and organized manner.
The MWF-017 fire has not yet affected oil production in the Fort McMurray area, but its southern end is currently Within 5 miles Part of the former Hangingstone oil well site managed by Athabasca Oil Company. His three gas and oil pipelines, managed by other companies, run through wildfire zones.
Another serious fire is combustion Near Fort Nelson, British Columbia, near major natural gas production areas. Emergency workers are calling on the last residents of a small town and nearby Indigenous community to evacuate as strong winds draw closer to a large blaze.
“We are very concerned. It is highly unusual that so many people are under evacuation orders,” state Emergency Management Minister Bowin Ma said Monday, adding that more than 4,700 evacuation orders have been issued. I said this in response to the announcement.
Northern Rockies Regional Mayor Rob Fraser said fewer than 100 people remained in Fort Nelson by Tuesday morning. Mr Fraser said firefighters and paramedics were preparing for a “last stand” to save the town.
Fort Nelson resident Jordan Pust said the evacuation order caused the most traffic he’s experienced in the 11 years he’s lived in the area.he Said of gloves and mail He said the support from the surrounding community had been invaluable to the evacuees, but feared his kind neighbors would soon have to deal with the fire crisis.
“What happens if those areas of the state themselves start having forest fires? Then we’re just going to stand there and watch our communities fall apart,” Pust said.
