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Massive Fire Burns At Gateway Town To Alberta’s Oilsands; 30,000 Evacuated

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Massive Fire Burns At Gateway Town To Alberta’s Oilsands; 30,000 Evacuated

Residents of neighborhoods in the Canadian boomtown of Fort McMurray – considered the gateway to Alberta’s oil sands as the Athabasca oil sands are roughly centered around the town – are under mandatory evacuation as a massive wildfire has jumped across Highway 63 and entered the city limits.  Homes have begun to burn in Fort McMurray as residents flee for safety from a blaze that’s doubled in size within a day.  More than 30,000 people have now been ordered to evacuate Fort McMurray communities.

The fire has already destroyed homes on the outskirts of the municipality. Bernie Schmitte, wildfire manager at Alberta Agriculture and Forestry said that the fire made a “major run” during the night and reached the Athabasca River. All Air Canada and WestJet flights to and from Fort McMurray have been cancelled

“My whole life is burning away,” Jenn Tremblett, who has left for Edmonton, told Metronews. “My home is in Gregoire (Fort McMurray neighbourhood) so it may be gone soon. “My family is trying to get out of town.” Tremblett said the community of Beacon Hill is on fire, after a nearby Shell gas station blew up.

Fire officials have extended the evacuation order to 10 communities in the city, including Beacon Hill, Abasand, Waterways, Draper, Saline Creek, Grayling Terrace, downtown, Thickwood, Wood Buffalo and Dickinsfield.

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