In Alberta, a 210 square kilometer fire forced more than 6,600 residents south of Fort McMurray from their homes. But regional fire chief Jody Butz is reassuring.
He assures that this fire is very different from the devastating fire which ravaged the city in 2016. This gigantic fire destroyed part of this oil sands hub and the recovery took years.
The fire chief explains that this fire is burning on the surface of the ground following the previous fire and contains much less fuel.
The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo said Wednesday that crews worked until 3 a.m. to put out the fire near Fort McMurray.
The fire was about 4.5 km from the intersection of Routes 63 and 881 — the main exit to the south — and about 5.5 km from the Fort McMurray dump, located near the city.
Officials say crews are also building a containment line near the municipal dump. A small amount of rain that fell overnight should have little impact on the fire, estimates the regional municipality.
Chief Butz says those asked to leave evacuated neighborhoods may not be able to return until Tuesday — or even longer.
According to him, around 6,600 people have left and 650 others have registered in evacuation centers in other localities. Butz says crews installed sprinklers in two neighborhoods to strengthen defenses.
A reception center for evacuated residents has opened in Edmonton.
A handful of residents were briefly allowed to return home to retrieve forgotten but essential items, including medications.
The Alberta government has promised that people displaced by evacuations will be eligible to receive $1,250 per adult and $600 per child after leaving their homes for seven days.
Several oil companies assured Wednesday that the forest fires threatening Fort McMurray do not pose a risk to their activities.
In British Columbia
In northeastern British Columbia, a wider area around the community of Fort Nelson is being evacuated due to the nearby Parker Lake Fire and the much larger Patry Creek Fire. which rages in the northwest.
Approximately 4,700 Fort Nelson residents were forced to leave their homes.
The Parker Lake Fire covers 84 square kilometers, while the Patry Creek Fire covers 464 square kilometers.
Mayor Rob Fraser urged residents not to return to their homes in the absence of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). He says emergency crews need to focus on fighting fires rather than dealing with people trying to return home and putting themselves in danger.
For those working to defend the community from the fire, Structure Protection Director Kevin Delgarno says crews were able to work until around midnight, not until dawn as has been the case. the case recently. “The fire behavior stabilized and was no longer as aggressive. » And he adds that the weather forecast for the region remains favorable, which will further contribute to the control efforts.
While the nearby Parker Lake wildfire was the one that prompted the evacuation of the Fort Nelson area, BC Wildfire Service Specialist Ben Boghean says the fire of Patry Creek, about 25 km north of the city, expanded significantly earlier this week, fanned by strong winds.
He notes that currently it doesn’t pose the same danger, but that could quickly change with the return of strong winds and drier conditions.
The provincial forest fire protection service says weather conditions remain abnormally hot and dry across much of the province, increasing the risks of outbreak and spread.
Meanwhile, in Manitoba, around 500 people have been forced from their homes in the small, isolated community of Cranberry Portage in the northwest following a fire that has spread across more than 300 square kilometres.