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Smoke
clears over Fort McMurray wildfire and it's bigger than previously
thought
22
May, 2016
Rain
and cooler temperatures have allowed firefighters to better assess
the size of the Fort McMurray wildfire, and it’s bigger than
previous estimates suggested.
The
latest estimates peg the wildfire at 522,894 hectares on the Alberta
side, and 2,496 hectares across the border into Saskatchewan, Laura
Stewart, an Alberta wildfire information officer, confirmed Sunday
afternoon.
While
the fire was reported to be 504,443 hectares yesterday, Stewart said
it hasn’t grown, rather the weather helped to clear smoke in the
area allowing firefighters to better assess the size.
“Firefighters
are making really great progress, taking advantage, of course, of
these cooler temperatures,” she said, noting more rain is expected
in the Fort McMurray area.
Fire
conditions in northeastern Alberta remain extreme and the wildfire in
Fort McMurray remains out of control, even with the cooler weather.
But
that cooler, wet weather has allowed firefighters to reclassify the
fire near Janvier, which was also reported as out of control on
Saturday.
A
lot more rain fell in the Janvier area and the 146-hectare fire is
now being held, Stewart said, adding that it isn’t expected to grow
any further.
Sixteen
other fires are also burning in the province.
There
are 1,880 firefighters, 104 helicopters, 29 air tankers and 295
pieces of heavy equipment being used to fight wildfires across the
province.
Random
camping on public lands in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo
has been banned to prevent the need for firefighters to respond to
other emergency situations.
On
Saturday mandatory evacuation orders were lifted for seven oilsands
sites including, Millenium, Borealis, Hudson, Noralta, and Ruth Lake
lodge, as well as Suncor Base Plant and Syncrude Mildred Lake Plant.
Oilsands
camps south of Anzac, including Nexen Long Lake, HML Lodge, Gregoire
River, Nexen Kinosis, PTI Kinosis, PTI Anzac, Surmont and Cheecham
Lodge, will begin a phased re-entry so assessment work can begin.
Guest occupancy is not permitted until safety inspections are
completed, the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo said in a news
release Sunday.
Fort
McMurray residents are expected to be able to start returning home on
June 1 on a voluntary, phased basis.
The
municipality has released a timeline and map outlining the phased
re-entry plan.
Atco
employees are in the city working to restore critical utility
infrastructure. As of Sunday afternoon gas service had been restored
to 90 per cent of undamaged areas in Fort McMurray and more than 90
per cent of the city had electricity.
A
boil-water advisory remains in effect for the Fort McMurray area and
any work camps that draw water from the Regional Municipality of Wood
Buffalo water treatment plant.
An
air quality advisory has also been issued for the Fort McMurray area
due to the wildfires.
While
debit-card locations are now closed, financial assistance is still
available through Alberta Works offices. Evacuees, who do not have
insurance, or sufficient insurance, can also apply for financial
assistance for temporary housing at Alberta Works office.
Alberta
rallies international help for Fort McMurray wildfires
More
than 1,000 firefighters from around the world on their way to Alberta
CBC,
24
May, 2016
Alberta's
fire boss hopes fresh feet at the perimeter of Fort McMurray's
massive fire will save some of the province's most valuable assets.
More
than 1,000 firefighters from across Canada, the U.S., South Africa
and other countries will soon join the roughly 1,200-member fire crew
already in Fort McMurray.
Provincial
wildfire manager Chad Morrison said his team made the decision to
order them up last week — around the time the fires swept to
the edges of oilsands sites, forcing a mandatory evacuation of
19 facilities north of Fort McMurray.
Those
evacuation orders have since been lifted, but caution continues
as flames keep raging and growing.
"This
fire is not under control by any means," Morrison said in a news
conference Tuesday, when asked if the oilsands are in the clear.
He
said there is no immediate threat, but added it's early yet, both
in the life of this fire and the fire season in general.
And
with no significant rain in two to three months — combined
with warm forecast this week — it's going to stay tough.
"There
always is that potential," that flames could cross the
firebreaks around the Suncor and Syncrude facilities,
that firefighters patrol, Morrison said.
"That's
why we're investing thousands of resources," he said. "We
continue to secure the sites around there. We expect to hold it as
best we can over the next coming days."
'Qualified,
certified and highly trained'
Morrison
called the new crews "qualified, certified, and highly trained"
and said they are coming from as far away as Alaska and South Africa.
The
North American reinforcements will arrive this week, while some 280
South African firefighters will get here next week.
Their
"critical priority" will be securing the oilsand sites in
the north, he said.
It's
estimated roughly one million barrels per day have been lost due to
the fire, which amounts to about half the typical daily output.
An
RCMP officer adjusts his face mask at the northern road block outside
Fort McMurray. Air quality, which has fluctuated as high as a 51 on
the 1-10 risk scale, was at six Tuesday morning. (Marion Warnica/CBC)
Not
all of that loss was attributed to threat from fires, but rather loss
of workforce. Many oilsands employees are residents of Fort
McMurray were evacuated from town.
Lately,
dozens of oil workers have reported being evacuated from
housing two or three times through a combination of
precautionary and mandatory evacuation orders in the north, and the
original exodus from the town itself.
Suncor
and Syncrude, the two oilsands plants shuttered under mandatory
evacuation orders last week, are now working with the province on a
phased re-entry plan for some of those employees.
Provincial
officials say they're overseeing plans from affected companies,
testing air quality and making sure labour regulations are met before
staff are allowed to come back.
Re-entry
rehearsal
Inside
the town, the focus swivels to preparing for the return of evacuees.
It's
a process that Scott Long with the Alberta Emergency Management
Agency calls "an awful lot of work." And it continues day
and night.
This
week, they'll run a rehearsal to look more closely at their
planning.
"If
there's any gaps that we have not thought of, we will quickly address
those," Long said.
This
map from the provincial government shows the large perimeter of the
fire on May 24. (Government of Alberta)
A
detailed booklet telling evacuees what to expect, if they decide to
return to Fort McMurray during the voluntary re-entry starting June
1, is now available online.
The
province has also made significant progress on basic services.
Restoration
of the hospital restarted on Sunday, electricity service has been
restored to more 90 per cent of the community, and natural gas have
been restored to 99 per cent of homes, outside the worst-hit
neighbourhoods of Abasand, Waterways, and Beacon Hill.
Fort
McMurray's commercial airport also announced Tuesday it plans to
re-open June 10. And the RCMP detachment has now restarted its local
office, with the majority of personnel returned.
Weekend
rain skips northern flames
The
wildfires, which continue to burn out of control, grew over the
weekend and have now consumed 522,892 hectares.
Rain
and snow that hammered most of the province over the weekend largely
skipped the wildfire area.
The
Fort McMurray region saw at most 5 mm of rain, compared to the
more than 100 mm seen in some parts of Edmonton.
But
despite the many challenges, officials found some positive news to
share.
Three
weeks of warm, dry-as-dust conditions since the fire roared
through town, mean even small showers and minor temperature dips seem
like big victories.
Morrison
said the break allowed crews to finalize 178 km of fire guard
around the fire's perimeter.
That
fire guard will make it easier for those new support crews to fight
the fire on the ground.
Morrison
said Tuesday will be another "challenging" day, though
he remained, as ever, optimistic.
"We
continue to make great progress."
This
map from the provincial government tracks rain levels in Alberta over
recent days. (Government of Alberta)
Canada loses quarter of crude output as result of wildfires
Conditions today indicate cool, windless conditions but no rain
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