Fort McMurray Wildfire to Push Thousands South in Coordinated Evacuation Convoy

Sean Breslin
Published: May 6,2016

One day after another 8,000 people were evacuated from the path of a massive wildfire burning in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, officials put a convoy of vehicles in motion to move hundreds more out of an area north of the city.
The fire grew from 25,000 acres on Wednesday to 210,000 acres on Thursday – a size larger than the city of Chicago. Fire crews continue to battle the raging inferno that has frequently left them at a loss for words when describing just how aggressive it has been.
Meanwhile, the number of evacuees continues to rise as more residents are pushed out by the massive blaze. The convoy is needed because many people fled north of the city when mandatory evacuations were issued and became trapped due to a highway closure. Now, with food and gas in short supply, they will be led south, through the middle of the ravaged city, along the closed Highway 63, CTV News Calgary said.
(MORE: Why It's Called the #YMMfire and Other Questions Answered)

Follow

Kimberly Wynn ✔ ‎@KimWynnCTV

Sending best wishes to the convoy heading S. on Highway 63 -conditions are smoky, low visibility N. of #ymm #abroads

8:20 AM - 6 May 2016

• 10 10 Retweets
• 23

In addition to the convoy, authorities expect to continue a mass airlift of evacuees Friday morning after thousands were evacuated the day before, according to the Associated Press. In all, at least 88,000 people have been evacuated, and some have been forced to leave shelters and flee even further as the fire grew.
"Homes have been destroyed. Neighborhoods have gone up in flames. The footage we've seen of cars racing down highways while fire races on all sides is nothing short of terrifying," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in Parliament Thursday. He called it "the largest fire evacuation in Alberta's history."
The Alberta government said more than 1,100 firefighters, 145 helicopters, 138 pieces of heavy equipment and 22 air tankers were brought in to fight the destructive inferno.
"You could add five times the number of firefighters, but you can't get all the embers," Center for Fire Research and Outreach at the University of California, Berkeley co-director Bill Stewart told the Associated Press. "There's no way to put out every ember flying over firefighters' heads."
Fort McMurray International Airport's main terminal appeared to escape damage Wednesday night, but CBC reported Thursday morning that several other airport buildings were destroyed. Before the airport was closed Wednesday night, flames could be seen nearby, AP said. The airport was built just two years ago at a cost of $258 million ($200 million U.S.), according to CTV News Calgary.
A provincial state of emergency was declared by the Alberta government Wednesday evening as it became clear the raging fire showed no signs of weakening.
"This is a nasty, dirty fire," Fort McMurray Fire Chief Darby Allen told the AP. "There are certainly areas of the city that have not been burned, but this fire will look for them and it will find them and it will want to take them."

Local officials said Wednesday that 70 percent of the homes in Beacon Hill have been lost, and the most recent census said the neighborhood is home to 2,200 residents living in more than 700 dwellings. Other neighborhoods reported an even higher percentage of homes lost.
(MORE: 2015 Was a Record Wildfire Season for the U.S.)
At a Wednesday morning briefing, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said 1,600 structures had been destroyed in Canada's main oil sands city.
Two deaths have been indirectly attributed to the wildfire. Emily Ryan, 15, and her stepmother's nephew, Aaron Hodgson, were killed during the evacuation Wednesday afternoon when their SUV hit a tractor-trailer, according to a CBC report. Ryan's father is a Wood Buffalo firefighter who was removed from active duty due to the tragedy, the report added.

As residents scattered to escape the flames, even the evacuation routes were dangerous as the fast-moving inferno burned along the roadways. For thousands, just getting out of the area was a challenge.
"It was apocalyptic," said Fort McMurray resident Will Flett. "Each side of the highway was engulfed in flames. I could feel the heat – even with my windows turned up and the air conditioning on – I could still feel the heat of the fire on both sides of me.
"It was scary because you didn't know what was on the other side. There was a point where I couldn't see a foot in front of my vehicle. I didn't know what was in front of me, you just had to take that chance to get out."

It has not yet been determined what caused the fire, but officials fear it was sparked by lightning because it started in a rural, wooded area.