Posted on 05/05/2016 11:18:13 PM PDT by Berlin_Freeper
Alberta declared a state of emergency Wednesday as crews frantically held back wind-whipped wildfires that have already torched 1,600 homes and other buildings in Canada’s main oil sands city of Fort McMurray, forcing more than 80,000 residents to flee.
Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said fire had destroyed or damaged an estimated 1,600 structures. Flames are being kept from the downtown area thanks to the “herculean” efforts of firefighters, said Scott Long of the Alberta Emergency Management Agency. No injuries or fire-related fatalities have been reported.
The fire appeared late Wednesday near the airport, where crews were onsite. All commercial flights in and out of Fort McMurray have been suspended.
Unseasonably hot temperatures, combined with dry conditions, have transformed the boreal forest in much of Alberta into a tinder box.
(Excerpt) Read more at columbiatribune.com ...
The blaze has grown five times its initial size as it spreads south, prompting more than 88,000 evacuations.
But 25,000 of those people who left their homes on Tuesday and moved north may now have to be resettled again.
The Alberta government issued a province-wide fire ban Thursday afternoon, effective immediately.for real-time[...?]
You can also download the Alberta Wildfire app for Android and Apple for real-time
Tom Moffatt tweeted out Tuesday evening that the current state of the oil and gas town is no coincidence, calling it “Karmic #climatechange”. He also used the hashtag #FeelTheBern in the post.
Watch terrifying videos of an exodus from Fort McMurray
http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/watch-one-drivers-incredible-videos-of-his-exodus-from-a-flaming-fort-mcmurray
Officials evacuating 8,000 people by air
http://indianexpress.com/article/world/world-news/fort-mcmurray-canada-wildfire-people-evacuated-alberta-2786921/
Canada wildfire burns down homes in Fort McMurray; 80,000 residents flee
No rain clouds were expected around Fort McMurray until late Saturday, with a 40% chance of showers
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