Understatement
of the year- "Unfortunately, the summer is expected to be very
warm and drier compared to normal,"
Canadian
oil sands forced to evacuate as Fort McMurray fire continues to rage
22
May, 2016
Crews
continue to battle the raging Fort McMurray fire in Canada, which has
shifted northward and is threatening nearby oil sands.
The
Fort McMurray fire began on Sunday, May 1, and rapidly grew in size
and strength, forcing the entire town to flee for safety.
According
to The
Globe and Mail,
the fire has since burned over 500,000 hectares (1,931 square miles)
and has crossed into Saskatchewan. In comparison, Prince Edward
Island is a little over 560,000 hectares (2,162 square miles).
On
May 12, the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on the Landset 8 satellite
acquired this image of the expansive burn scars from the Fort
McMurray fire.
After
losing some intensity during the second week of May, the fire
strengthened and spread farther north this past week.
According
to CBC News, the rapid fire growth forced shut downs and/or
evacuations of 19 oil facilities.
The
Globe and Mail reported
Tuesday that nearly 10,000 workers were evacuated from the Suncor and
Syncrude oil sands sites, two of Canada's largest oil operations.
As
of Saturday morning local time, authorities have lifted the mandatory
evacuation orders for several oil sands sites north of Fort McMurray,
Alberta, The
Globe and Mail said.
The
halt in production has dealt a devastating blow to Canada's oil
industry and will likely have a ripple effect worldwide.
Since
the evacuations, Canada's oil output has been cut by nearly a million
barrels per day, according to ABC
News Australia.
A
charred bus sits beside a road in Fort McMurray, Alberta, on May 5.
(Royal Canadian Mounted Police Alberta via AP)
Relief
may be in store for the fire-ravaged area into the start of the new
week.
A
storm will spread clouds, cooler temperatures and some much-needed
rain over the region this weekend.
AccuWeather
Canadian Weather Expert Brett Anderson stated that this rainfall
should help slow the advancement of the fire.
While
the relief will only be temporary, any bit of rain will help
firefighters gain ground on the fire.
Fort
McMurray faces a long road to recovery and latest indications are
that Mother Nature may not aid in the relief efforts this summer.
"Unfortunately,
the summer is expected to be very warm and drier compared to normal,"
Anderson stated. "Thus, some of the larger fires may continue to
burn through the entire season."
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