An evacuation warning has been issued for Fort McMurray, Alberta, as an out-of-control wildfire spreads southwest of Canada's top oil city Alberta, making it one of the first actions ahead of the fire season.
In a statement released Friday, the Alberta government said the fire danger is “extreme” in the Fort McMurray Forest Area and is out of control with the size equivalent to 1,000 hectares, adding that strong winds are expected on Saturday (11), while a cold front continues to pass over the region.
Helicopter pilots using night vision equipment monitored the fire area throughout the night.
In 2016, a massive fire in Fort McMurray forced the evacuation of 90,000 residents and shut down more than a million barrels per day of oil production.
The federal government has warned that Canada faces another “catastrophic” fire season, predicting warmer-than-normal spring and summer temperatures across much of the country, driven by El Niño weather conditions.
Last year, Canada suffered its worst fire season, with more than 6,600 fires that burned 15 million hectares, an area approximately seven times larger than the annual average. Eight firefighters died and 230,000 people were evacuated from their homes.
Source: CNN Brasil
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