CALGARY: Fire raged unchecked through the Canadian city of Fort McMurray overnight as authorities raced to complete the evacuation of its population of 80,000, fearful that hot, dry winds forecast for Wednesday would further fan the flames.
About 44,000 people were estimated to have fled the city by late on Tuesday on traffic-chocked roads, and the province of Alberta requested military help to bring the blaze under control and airlift others from fire- and smoke-filled streets. “My thoughts are with people affected by the fire in Fort McMurray tonight,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted on Tuesday. “Stay safe and remember to follow evacuation orders.”
A number of flights from Fort McMurray airport were canceled on Tuesday.
“I’m afraid that huge parts of my home town... may burn and will continue to burn,” Brian Jean, leader of Alberta’s official opposition party, told CBC Radio, saying his own home was in the immediate path of the flames.
The fire in the heart of Canada’s oil sands region broke out southwest of the city on Sunday, shifting aggressively with the wind to breach city limits on Tuesday, when its size was estimated at 26.5 square kilometers (6,540 acres).
It destroyed one residential neighborhood in the southeast, and others were severely damaged or under threat, Chief Darby Allen of Fort McMurray’s fire department said. The blaze also temporarily closed off the main southern exit from the city, Highway 93, prompting many residents to flee north toward the oil sands camps.
Alberta Premier Rachel Notley described the evacuation as the biggest in the province’s history.
Officials said army and air force assistance would take two days to arrive, and they expected to face another day of battling the flames on Wednesday, when relatively low humidity, hot temperatures and high winds were in the forecast.
“We may, to some extent, still be in fire extinguishment mode,” Fire Chief Allen told a news conference on Tuesday night. “I think, based on the conditions ... we’re going to face a day that’s fairly similar to today.”
Nine air tankers, more than a dozen helicopters and about 150 firefighters were deployed to combat the flames, officials said.
About 44,000 people were estimated to have fled the city by late on Tuesday on traffic-chocked roads, and the province of Alberta requested military help to bring the blaze under control and airlift others from fire- and smoke-filled streets. “My thoughts are with people affected by the fire in Fort McMurray tonight,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted on Tuesday. “Stay safe and remember to follow evacuation orders.”
A number of flights from Fort McMurray airport were canceled on Tuesday.
“I’m afraid that huge parts of my home town... may burn and will continue to burn,” Brian Jean, leader of Alberta’s official opposition party, told CBC Radio, saying his own home was in the immediate path of the flames.
The fire in the heart of Canada’s oil sands region broke out southwest of the city on Sunday, shifting aggressively with the wind to breach city limits on Tuesday, when its size was estimated at 26.5 square kilometers (6,540 acres).
It destroyed one residential neighborhood in the southeast, and others were severely damaged or under threat, Chief Darby Allen of Fort McMurray’s fire department said. The blaze also temporarily closed off the main southern exit from the city, Highway 93, prompting many residents to flee north toward the oil sands camps.
Alberta Premier Rachel Notley described the evacuation as the biggest in the province’s history.
Officials said army and air force assistance would take two days to arrive, and they expected to face another day of battling the flames on Wednesday, when relatively low humidity, hot temperatures and high winds were in the forecast.
“We may, to some extent, still be in fire extinguishment mode,” Fire Chief Allen told a news conference on Tuesday night. “I think, based on the conditions ... we’re going to face a day that’s fairly similar to today.”
Nine air tankers, more than a dozen helicopters and about 150 firefighters were deployed to combat the flames, officials said.
