FORT MCMURRAY: Wildfires that ravaged a vast area of western Canada’s Alberta province now are threatening a neighbouring region, authorities said on Sunday, as the inferno — which doubled in sized in the space of a day — continued its advance.
The ruthless blaze, fanned by high winds and fuelled by tinder-dry conditions, devastated the region around the city of Fort McMurray, and could now spread to neighbouring Saskatchewan province some 60 kilometres away.
Chad Morrisson, senior wildfire manager for Alberta, said unless the region receives at least four inches of rain, “we expect to be out fighting the fire in the forested area for months to come.” He said: “That’s not uncommon with such large wildfires,” adding that the blaze was moving toward Saskatchewan.
Even as fellow Canadians rally to provide them succor and support, thousands of evacuees who fled the fire are coming to grips with the likelihood that they will be unable to see their homes anytime soon — assuming the dwellings are still standing at all.
Hundreds of firefighters, exhausted and demoralised after days vainly battling a blaze they grimly refer to as “the beast,” acknowledged that they will probably have to wait for the fire to burn itself out. Weather forecasters, meanwhile, predict no rain for at least a week in the area, whose oil sands are a vital part of the regional economy.
With 2,000 square kilometres of forests and brush, as well as whole neighbourhoods of the city, turned to ash — an area three-quarters the size of Luxembourg — firefighters battling the blaze are concentrating on saving vital infrastructure, including telecommunications, electric grids, gas and water lines.
Rescue crews and police have been guarding the city, but it will be days before workers can begin clearing damaged or destroyed structures and before some residents can begin to move back into those areas spared by the inferno. Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said that gas lines had been cut, the electric grid damaged and a large part of the city had neither electricity nor drinkable water.
“There’s a great deal of hazardous material to be cleaned up, and many other things to be done before the city is safe for families to go home,” she said.
Most of the 100,000 evacuees have found temporary shelter with friends or family members, but the government is working furiously to provide accommodations for the others.
Many of the employees of the big petroleum companies active in the area come from other parts of Canada and have returned home.
But tens of thousands of other evacuees are scattered across Alberta in emergency shelters, campgrounds, or even in their cars parked for miles along provincial roads. Many need food, clothing or personal products like diapers.
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