Thread: 1,600 homes burn in Alberta fire

1,600 homes burn in Alberta fire
Some evacuees pack up again as blaze approaches

By Faith Karimi and Chuck Johnston, CNN
Updated 11:38 AM ET, Thu May 5, 2016

(CNN)Days after escaping a roaring wildfire in the Canadian city of Fort McMurray, some evacuees are packing up -- again.

The inferno, which started Sunday, forced the evacuation of that entire city in northern Alberta.
Residents who outran the flames were forced to flee for a second time as the fire blazed toward their shelter.

Donna Guillamot was one of tens of thousands evacuated from the Fort McMurray area to Anzac this week.

But authorities asked Guillamot and others to move again late Wednesday as weather patterns shifted the blaze toward them.

"I thought it was safe here, so I guess we'll go to Edmonton," Guillamot told CNN partner CBC News. "Now you're sitting here and all you see is red flames. It's pretty scary."

Edmonton is nearly 270 miles away.

'Hug a loved one'

As some evacuees took buses to the next shelter, the encroaching flames forced emergency officials to move their make-shift operations center again.


"We're evacuating ... and heading to Lac La Biche to reset," the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo tweeted early Thursday.

"Please be patient with updates -- just evacuated almost 900 people and drove 2.5 hours, we're doing the best we can."

Authorities ordered an evacuation center south of Fort McMurray to move residents as weather patterns shifted the blaze toward them Wednesday night, CBC News reported.

Officials kept residents updated as they worked through the night to ensure fatalities and injuries remain at zero.

"Take comfort tonight knowing that your friends and family are safe," local officials tweeted. They urged residents to stay safe and "hug a loved one."

Tens of thousands evacuated

Canada wildfire: By the numbers
1,600: Homes destroyed
88,000: People evacuated
100: Square miles burned
250: Firefighters
12: Firefighting helicopters
0: Reported fatalities
Sources: CNN, CNN partner CBC


The wildfire has torched at least 1,600 homes, CBC News said.

Walls of fire burned on both sides of Fort McMurray's major highway, cutting off the city from the rest of Alberta province.

Authorities ordered the evacuation of about 88,000 people Tuesday, including the entire city of Fort McMurray, the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo said.

The cause of the blaze remains unclear.

'Things are pretty horrible right now'

Paul Spring's neighborhood went down in flames, but he kept on working.

"The whole subdivision is gone," the longtime pilot and firefighter said. "Things are pretty horrible right now. We've been out flying and surveying the damage."

He said his team will fly firefighting missions, dropping water and assisting crews on the ground.

"As long as we keep the people safe, we can rebuild the houses," he said.

Good news

While the dangerous mix of extreme temperatures and bone-dry conditions helped spread the blaze, relief may be on the way.

"Conditions are set to improve over the next couple of days," CNN meteorologist Judson Jones said.

Temperatures that soared to 32.6 Celsius (90.6 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday will drop to the low 20s C (60s F) on Thursday and Friday -- giving firefighters a hand in combating the blaze, Jones said.

"All our efforts to control and contain the fire were challenged by this extreme fire behavior," Alberta forestry manager Bernie Schmitte said.

"Efforts were also hampered by smoke conditions. Basically fire behavior was beyond all control efforts."

The main challenge ahead: fierce winds gusting in different directions.

"If it's constantly changing direction in different ways, it's hard to control a fire," Jones said.

About 250 firefighters and 12 helicopters are battling the blaze.

CNN's Holly Yan, David Williams, Dave Alsup, Amanda Jackson and Justin Lear contributed to this report.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/05/americ...ada/index.html

Temperatures that soared to 32.6 Celsius (90.6 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday will drop to the low 20s C (60s F) on Thursday and Friday -- giving firefighters a hand in combating the blaze, Jones said.

90 degrees in Canada in early May? Unreal! Canada used to have 6mths of winter, 6 of spring, now its summer in May.

Escape convoy starts heading south

By Michael Pearson and Steve Almasy, CNN
Updated 10:28 AM ET, Fri May 6, 2016

(CNN) A convoy of 1,500 vehicles carrying evacuees fleeing the Fort McMurray fire began rolling south early Friday under the watchful eye of Canadian police.

Helicopters hovered overhead to look out for smoke and flames along the route, while emergency fuel stations were set up along the way to keep the convoy moving.

Authorities planned to escort the convoy through the fire-devastated city -- the only road route south. It was expected to take all day, police said. Others will likely be airlifted out of the fire zone later Friday, as 8,000 were Thursday, according to authorities.

Many of the evacuees are expected eventually to wind up in Edmonton, the provincial capital some 379 kilometers (236 miles) to the south, where residents and officials were working to set up accommodations for the influx of temporary residents. Others were headed for Calgary or other cities.

At least 88,000 people have been forced to flee the enormous fires, which so far have burned at least 850 square kilometers (328 square miles) and destroyed more than 1,600 homes in a region famed for its massive oil reserves -- the third-largest in the world.

The northeastern Alberta city isn't the only area on fire. At least 49 wildfires are burning in Alberta, the provincial government said.

Late Thursday, the fire chief for the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, Darby Allen, posted an update to Twitter saying conditions had calmed somewhat inside Fort McMurray, but that the battle still raged.

"The beast is still up. it's surrounded the city, and we're here doing our very best for you," he said.

What we know about the fire
When residents will be able to go home is much in doubt.
"It will not be a matter of days," Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said. "The damage is extensive."
Notley said she knows people are scared and worried about what they will find when the fires are out and they can go back.
"Trust us that we have your back, that we will be there for you. And that we will support you along the way," she said at an evening news conference.
How to help victims of the Fort McMurray fire




11 photos: Wildfire forces Canadian city to evacuate

A member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police surveys wildfire damage in Fort McMurray, Alberta, where more than 80,000 people have been forced from their homes.The RCMP tweeted the photo on Thursday, May 5.




11 photos: Wildfire forces Canadian city to evacuate

A member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police surveys wildfire damage in Fort McMurray, Alberta, where more than 80,000 people have been forced from their homes.The RCMP tweeted the photo on Thursday, May 5.

Some good news

The cause of the fire remains unclear, but a dangerous mix of extreme temperatures and bone-dry conditions have fueled the inferno.
Chad Morrison, a senior manager for wildfire prevention with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, said the fire didn't move as much Thursday as it did the day before.
Strong winds didn't help, but lower temperatures -- after two days of record heat -- and lower humidity did.
Friday's forecast included no rain, but winds were not expected to be as strong.
"We still have a few warm, hot burning dry days in front of us for sure. Firefighters will continue to be challenged," Morrison said. "So we're not out of the woods yet, and we still have a long ways to go."

Quick escapes

Cameron Spring had 30 minutes to pack up a lifetime of memories from the house he grew up in.
The fire, which started Sunday, was racing toward his home, destroying everything in its path.
"We had next to no warning," the 27-year-old said. "I was able to grab some clothes, toiletries, a hard drive and laptop, passport and my Brazilian jiujitsu belt."
Spring escaped just in time. His neighborhood -- more than 100 homes -- burned to the ground.
"Absolutely everything was leveled," he said. The only things left standing: burnt trees, a light post and a few chimneys.

Canadians step up to help
But Spring doesn't have time to think about losing his home. He's also the safety and operations director at Phoenix Heli-Flight, which was busy evacuating hospital patients and helping firefighters by dropping water from the sky.
"It's not difficult at all to keep working and not think of it," he said. "Just knowing that everything we lost is replaceable is comforting."


One of those rescued was Peter Fortna, who with his cat, Sami, and his roommate, had fled about 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) down the road to a friend's house.
A Phoenix pilot thought the area was in danger, so he set his helicopter down in a field when he saw Fortna and others nearby.
The pilot told them it was time to move to safety again and offered to take them to the airport, which was about a minute away by air. There, Fortna rented a car and drove 435 kilometers (270 miles) to Edmonton.
"I never feared for my life, but it was close enough," Fortna said of his ordeal.
Shifting winds

Canada wildfire: By the numbers
1,600: Structures destroyed
88,000: People evacuated
850: Square kilometers burned
250: Firefighters
12: Firefighting helicopters
0: Reported fatalities



Not everyone left in a timely manner, Sgt. Jack Poitras, a spokesman for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, told reporters Thursday.
"We still have some people who have been hanging around," he said.
Officers are going into accessible areas and looking for signs of people, he said.
Figuring out where the fire is headed is difficult, he said, because the strong winds kept shifting.
"It's very dangerous because it keeps going back and forth," he said.
The flames also prevented people north of the city from being able to travel south.
"It's not safe to let them through," Poitras said.
1,600 structures destroyed

http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/06/americ...y-fire-canada/