Oil workers evacuated as Fort McMurray wildfire spreads rapidly north

CANADA -- Firefighters in central Canada are struggling to control a huge, 285,000-hectare blaze, provoking fresh fears it will reach major oil sand facilities.

As the wildfires spread north, a further 4,000 people were evacuated from work camps on the outskirts of Fort McMurray in Alberta. This, almost two weeks after the city’s entire 90,000-strong population was forced to flee.

Alberta Premier, Rachel Notley assured the public that safety precautions were in place.

“Both (oil companies) Syncrude and Suncor have emergency plans in place, which they are operationalising, and firefighters in place as well. Officials are confident that should additional trigger lines be crossed that people can be evacuated safely if necessary.”

Firefighters say the blaze has been travelling as fast as 30-40 metres a minute in some places, prompting officials to give precautionary evacuation orders to a further 8,000 people.

Authorities say the air quality in Fort McMurray has greatly deteriorated. Normally measuring from 1-10 on the air quality health index, the city was at 38 on Monday (May 16).

Most of the city remains intact, but hotspots burning in the vicinity are preventing residents from being allowed to return home.

-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2016-05-17

I do not agree with oil companies and mining the tar sands, due to environmental problems.

I realize that we need the profits for the Canadian economy. No fire is a good fire. Maybe they are meant to be closed.

a proud Canadian. I have family in Alberta.

Perhaps opinions about the environment and big oil would be best left off until the people are safe. The whole world uses oil and oil byproducts (plastics). As much as it is in vogue to be anti oil, you use it every day, we all do. Without it most of the worlds population would die in a horrible food and water shortage, and the wars to follow.

The people who are in danger now, and the people who have lost their homes and jobs didn't create our dependence on oil.

Perhaps opinions about the environment and big oil would be best left off until the people are safe. The whole world uses oil and oil byproducts (plastics). As much as it is in vogue to be anti oil, you use it every day, we all do. Without it most of the worlds population would die in a horrible food and water shortage, and the wars to follow.

The people who are in danger now, and the people who have lost their homes and jobs didn't create our dependence on oil.

What you say is of course true. However, if we are to believe even a portion of scientific theory, this fire will be followed by more of the same BECAUSE of our over-dependence on oil. Fossil fuel is the low-hanging fruit. The machinery of our industrial enterprise has made it easy to get it and convert it into money now. This is a cycle that needs some serious intervention and unless we prepare and manage that intervention, nature will do it for us, as it so forcefully demonstrates in this fire.

....something not right about this whole incident.....