Canada fire: 88,000 residents forced to flee in Fort McMurray

Alberta declares a state of emergency as fires threaten Canadian oil town of Fort McMurray and lead to the largest wildfire evacuation in Canada

Fort McMurray: Alberta declared a state of emergency as crews frantically held back wind-whipped wildfires that have already torched 1,600 homes and other buildings in Canada’s main oil sands city of Fort McMurray, forcing around 88,000 residents to flee.

A wildfire moves towards Anzac from Fort McMurray. Pic/AP

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said fire had destroyed or damaged an estimated 1,600 structures. Flames are being kept from the downtown area thanks to the “Herculean” efforts of firefighters, said Scott Long of the Alberta Emergency Management Agency. No injuries or fire related fatalities have been reported.

The fire appeared near the airport late yesterday where crews were onsite. All commercial flights in and out of Fort McMurray have been suspended. Unseasonably hot temperatures combined with dry conditions have transformed the boreal forest in much of Alberta into a tinderbox. Fort McMurray is surrounded by wilderness in the heart of Canada’s oil sands — the third largest reserves of oil in the world.

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