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Alberta wildfire growing, may reach Saskatchewan
| CNN | - |
(CNN)
The massive wildfire that forced almost 90,000 people to evacuate in
Alberta is growing and approaching the neighboring province of
Saskatchewan, Canadian officials said.
Alberta wildfire growing, may reach Saskatchewan
(CNN)The
massive wildfire that forced almost 90,000 people to evacuate in
Alberta is growing and approaching the neighboring province of
Saskatchewan, Canadian officials said.
Dry
and extremely windy conditions are fueling the blaze, which has
scorched more than 1,560 square kilometers (602 square miles) and
ravaged the city of Fort McMurray, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale
said Saturday.
"The situation remains unpredictable and dangerous," he told reporters.
Alberta
is "tinder dry," he said, adding there was a possibility of a drop in
temperature and a slight chance of rain early next week.
A
downpour is needed to tame the fire that is the size of Hong Kong and
almost 25% bigger than New York City. It has displaced about 88,000
people, wiped out at least 1,600 structures and sent plumes of smoke as
far away as Iowa. The fire may double in size, Goodale said.
The
blaze is moving in a northeast direction and could reach the border
with Saskatchewan by the end of Saturday, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley
said.
The response has been
massive. Notley said more than 500 firefighters are battling the blaze
around Fort McMurray, with the help of 15 helicopters and 14 air
tankers. More than 1,400 firefighters and 133 helicopters are fighting
blazes across the province.
Notley
said the Suncor and Syncrude oil companies to the north of Fort McMurray
are evacuating personnel. Officials stressed that the company
properties don't appear to be in danger from the fire.
The premier said the human suffering is heartbreaking.
"I
met families who had picked up and evacuated on a few hours' notice,
who are understandably worried and anxious about what is going to happen
next, about their children's schooling, about their belongings," she
said.
One bit of good news: No fatalities directly related to the fire have been reported.



























Fort
McMurray has been devastated. Besides the fire damage to structures,
the power grid has been damaged, and the water is currently undrinkable,
Notley said.
"I want to underline
again that no one who is not a trained first responder with a specific
job to do should be in Fort McMurray," she said.
Many
Fort McMurray residents first evacuated north of the city to oil
company camps. They were forced to move again as supplies ran low and
the oil companies decided to evacuate their own employees.
Thousands
of people who drove through Fort McMurray on Friday and Saturday in
evacuee convoys headed to Edmonton and other cities witnessed the
devastation.
"It
was something like Armageddon," said Morgan Elliott, who traveled with
his fiancee, Cara Kennedy, and their baby, Abigail. "Everything was
burnt, houses gone. Leaving the city, it was like a scene out of a
movie. It reminded me of the TV show 'The Walking Dead' where you're
going on the highway, and there's just abandoned vehicles everywhere;
hundreds of cars, just abandoned vehicles."
Vehicles
headed south down Highway 63, the lone road open for people relocating
to emergency shelters or the homes of friends or family, the Regional
Municipality of Wood Buffalo reported.
Notley
said 12,000 people have been airlifted over the past two days and 7,000
were able to drive out. Some 15,000 people remain stranded north of the
devastated city, but not all will leave, she said.
Canada wildfire: By the numbers
1,600: Structures destroyed
88,000: People evacuated
1,010: Square kilometers burned
250: Firefighters
12: Firefighting helicopters
0: Reported fatalities
88,000: People evacuated
1,010: Square kilometers burned
250: Firefighters
12: Firefighting helicopters
0: Reported fatalities
Many
evacuees are expected eventually to wind up in Edmonton, the provincial
capital some 379 kilometers (236 miles) to the south, or Calgary, where
residents and officials were working to set up accommodations for the
influx of temporary residents.
The
fire is so large that once brought under control it will burn in some
places for "weeks and weeks," said Chad Morrison of Alberta Wildfire.
Notley said a great deal of rebuilding work will follow the end of the fire.
"This is Canada," she said. "Canadians work together in the face of a disaster like this.








































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