VOA News | Wednesday, May 15, 2024 
Canada’s oil hub threatened by wildfire, sparking large evacuations

A large wildfire is slowly approaching the major Canadian oil sands city of Fort McMurray, and around 6,000 people in four suburbs have been told to evacuate, local officials said on Tuesday. The fire, fueled by tinder-dry conditions and high winds, has been threatening the city in the western province of Alberta since last week. It is now about 13 km (8 miles) away to the southwest. Alberta Wildfire information officer Josee St-Onge said the blaze grew significantly on Tuesday and noted winds from the southwest were gusting as high as 40 km/hr (24.8 mph). “Unfortunately, these are not favorable winds for us, and the fire will continue to advance towards the town until we see a wind shift,” she told an online media briefing. “We’re seeing extreme fire behavior. Smoke columns are developing, and the skies are covered in smoke. … Firefighters have been pulled from the fire line for safety reasons.” The fire has grown in size and is now more than 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres), officials said. In a statement, the local authority said residents in the suburbs of Abasand, Beacon Hill, Prairie Creek and Grayling had to leave by 4 p.m. Mountain Time. In 2016, a huge wildfire in Fort McMurray forced the evacuation of 90,000 residents and shut in more than a million barrels per day of oil output. People in other parts of Fort McMurray not under evacuation orders are also starting to leave, said resident Elsie Knister, as she prepared to depart her downtown neighborhood Tuesday afternoon…Read more