Published: Sunday, May 19, 2020
The shifting wind direction in Fort McMurray Forest Area in Alberta on May 13, 2024 caused smoke to spread in many directions.
After evacuation orders were lifted, residents forced to flee wildfires that threatened a Canadian oil producing hub were allowed to go home on Saturday.
Sandy Bowman, the mayor of Fort McMurray, said that she was “so pleased” to see people return safely to their homes. She thanked more than 6,000 residents for their “patience and resolve.”
A city statement stated that rains, which were much needed, had reduced the intensity of a wildfire in the province of Alberta. “Significant progress” was made in containing the fire’s northern edge.
Alberta firefighters reported that more rain was forecast for Saturday morning, but more than 19 hectares (47 acres) of land continued to burn uncontrollably.
As the fire rapidly spreaded towards the city, the evacuation order was issued for residents of Fort McMurray.
In 2016, the city was struck by a fire which forced 90,000 people to evacuate. It was a major disaster that caused 2,500 buildings to be destroyed and billions in damages.
Canadian authorities are preparing for another destructive wildfire season after last year’s most devastating, which saw fires burning from coast-to-coast, and charring over 15 million hectares.
As of Saturday afternoon, a federal tracker reported 114 active fires. Of these, 42 were in Alberta and forty in the westernmost part of British Columbia.
c) 2024 AFP
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Canadian oil city lifts wildfire evacuation orders (2024, 19 May)
Retrieved 19 May 2024
from https://phys.org/news/2024-05-canadian-oil-city-wildfire-evacuation.html
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Source: Phys.org