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Fort McMurray: Canada wildfires force evacuation of oil sands city

[ Youtubes inserted ]

Fort McMurray wildfire within metres of Highway 63

How weather has affected the Fort McMurray wildfire

Evacuees flee Fort McMurray wildfire

Mandatory evacuation orders issued for 80,000 residents in north of Alberta province, with reports entire neighbourhoods destroyed by wildfire

Have you been affected?
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/04/have-you-been-affected-by-the-alberta-wildfires

VIDEO: Duration Time 0:42 Tens of thousands forced to flee wildfire in Fort McMurray, Canada
http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2016/may/04/tens-of-thousands-forced-to-flee-wildfire-in-fort-mcmurray-canada-video

Nicky Woolf and agencies @nickywoolf

Wednesday 4 May 2016 17.35 AEST
Last modified on Wednesday 4 May 2016 19.01 AEST

The entire population of a northern Alberta city has been ordered to evacuate as a wildfire whipped by high winds engulfed homes and sent ash raining down on residents.

All of Fort McMurray, with the exception of Parson’s Creek, was under a mandatory evacuation order on Tuesday, said Robin Smith, press secretary for the regional municipality of Wood Buffalo in the Canadian province.

More than 80,000 residents were being directed to evacuation centres outside Fort McMurray, but journeys were made difficult as the main road out of the city – highway 63 – was licked by flames.

One evacuation centre, on an island in the Athabasca river, had filled up, Smith said. Entire neighbourhoods were destroyed, emergency officials said, but there were no reports of injuries.

[...]

More than 100 provincial and municipal firefighters had been brought in, with helicopters and aircraft used to drop water and fire retardant, while bulldozers were digging firebreaks. Overnight on Tuesday, fires continued to burn in several locations across the city’s south.

[...]

Russell Thomas, a resident and former municipal councillor, said he had left the town around noon for work and things had looked “perfectly fine”. By the time he attempted to return, he said, it was “like the apocalypse”. Separated from his family, who were evacuating north, he turned back and fled south.

[...]

Brian Jean, the leader of Alberta’s opposition party and a resident of the city, said much of downtown Fort McMurray was facing destruction: “My home of the last 10 years and the home I had for 15 years before that are both destroyed.”

Russell Thomas, a resident and former municipal councillor, said he had left the town around noon for work and things had looked “perfectly fine”. By the time he attempted to return, he said, it was “like the apocalypse”. Separated from his family, who were evacuating north, he turned back and fled south.

[...]

Fort McMurray is the hub of Alberta’s oil sands region. Oil sands work camps were being pressed into service to house evacuees as the raging wildfire emptied the city. Most oil sands projects are well north of the community, while the worst of the flames were on the city’s south side.

[...]

Unseasonably hot temperatures combined with dry conditions have transformed the boreal forest in much of Alberta into a tinder box. The wildfire threat is ranging from very high to extreme.

Much more - http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/03/wildfire-alberta-canada-fort-mcmurray-evacuation

TRAGIC. No fatalities as per that one, that's good work Canada.

See also:

Amid El Niño, a push to save California’s drought-drained aquifers
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=119905977

La Nina expected in next months for the first time since 2012
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=120485382

2015 will be hottest year on record — until 2016, WMO predicts
El Nino could help make 2016 even hotter than 2015
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=118765372

[Australia] Record temperatures for March a warning of what's to come, say experts
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=121324470

no, you are incapable of understanding the proper use of backfire terminology versus burnout, not
surprising when you probably got your education about wildfires from a bugs bunny cartoon.
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=117580238

The conversation to that last one is tragic, too. Funny though.