General Chat

Thanks for all the information Sylvia.

Devastating for all concerned.

Update ...............

The fire increased 50% in size overnight, over 156,000 hectares are now burning

The fire is currently moving away from Fort Mac, with strong winds. There is some moisture possible, but it is probable that it will not even reach the ground ....... the heat from the fire will dry it.

There are great worries that the wind will suddenly change direction and roar back to Fort Mac, or other communities further south. Plus, of course, the fire itself creates its own weather conditions, especially very strong winds.

Police (RCMP) are constantly patrolling Fort Mac, and they are finding that some people stayed. Yesterday they found a family of 5 (3 young children) and an elderly man with his dog, still in their homes because "they didn't believe they were in danger". They have been moved out.


Convoys of cars are being brought down from the oil camps in the north through Fort Mac to the south ........... today those convoys have been reduced in size to about 24 cars each as the conditions are unstable enough that longer convoys could be dangerous. Once south of Fort Mac, the cars are "released" from police control and can head to wherever they want to go.

They got about 6,000 people out yesterday by air and car convoys, and are hoping for a similar number today ..................... as a reminder, about 18,000 people fled north on Tuesday.


The 2 fires in northern BC that I mentioned last night have both increased in size, and the one that has moved over the border into Alberta is still 100% not contained.

other news ............


People who went north from Fort McMurray when they were evacuated are being moved out of the oil workers camps where they took refuge. About 18,000 people went north.

Thousands are being airlifted out, while convoys of cars are being escorted at intervals down the one and only highway to the south. That means they will be passing through Fort Mac. They're being taken out in groups of about 50 cars.

That will also include the oil workers who were actually working until the fires got so bad .......... they couldn't get out before, and the oil companies stopped paying them when work was stopped :-(

Reports are that not only were the oil workers asked not to eat as much as they normally did, but were asked not to do laundry and limit showering ......... all water is shipped in .......... so there would be enough for the 1000 or more people who were added to each camp.

Not only that ......... but many of the workers decided to self-censor themselves. They decided the language they normally use wasn't suitable when there were children and more women around :-D

Teresa ............ I can understand! It's bad all around. Fingers crossed for you xx

We're on the coast in the southern part of BC, nowhere near the extreme danger areas, but it's very dry here, even in the centre of the city.


One of the fires in northeastern BC, the Siphon Creek fire, has crossed into Alberta, and BC fire fighters will continue to fight it in that province. Firefighters don't usually cross provincial borders unless they have been specifically asked to do so ....... but the Albertans have their hands full with Fort McMurray.


The latest news (literally just listening to it on the radio) is that the Alaska Highway has been closed in north-eastern BC, as a result of the Beatton Airport Road fire, a separate fire from the Siphon Creek one but in the same geographical area. The Beatton fire has been going since mid-April, and is still uncontrolled.

1000 people are under mandatory evacuation orders from the two fires..

It's bad, and likely to get even worse .......... there are bone dry conditions, and high temperatures, causing high to extreme fire risks in all the provinces west of Ontario, and moderate to high conditions from Ontario east to New Brunswick.

El Nino once again :-(

Although the current thought is that most, if not all, of these fires (including Fort McMurray) have been caused as a result of human action .................. accidental or deliberate .... rather than natural. Experts are saying that there had been few lightening strikes when these fires started.

Accidental causes include discarding cigarette butts, not putting out a camp fire, sparks from equipment (eg chainsaws when clearing), or from hot exhaust pipes of vehicles.

El Nino IS responsible for the dry conditions, low snow pack, and early heat.

Sylvia,

I am 40 minutes south and west of Calgary in a small town in the foothills. We have been on a fire ban for over a month and now are on water restrictions. Every time we hear sirens we all panic a little. My house backs on to fields and forest so a fire would be terrible.

Teres

Tawny ............

St Catherines is in southern Ontario. on the Niagara River ............... thousands of kilometres away from Alberta. It's a lovely place.

Pat .............

I'm not sure where the BBC got their forecast from ........... we do sometimes find what they say on the World Service does not fit what our local forecasters say :-)

The current forecast for Fort McMurray ............

Today ......... 21C Precipitation 0% Humidity 20% Wind 14 kmh Sun

Saturday .... 28C Precipitation 0% Humidity 23% Wind 16 kmh Sun

Sunday ....... 19C Precipitation 10% Humidity 33% Wind 29 kmh Sunny partly cloudy

Monday ....... 13C Precipitation 10% Humidity 40% Wind 23% Cloudy

There is no rain shown through at least next Friday

Of course, there might be no cloud in the forecast, but the area is covered with thick smoke which is keeping out the sun, but also keeping in the heat from the flames.


Having said all that ............... this fire is now so large at 100,000 hectares that it actually forms its own weather system. There is an effect where the heat from the fire rises and generates its own winds, and creating its own lightening. Dry lightening is very dangerous when the vegetation is as dry as it now is.

I think what that basically means is that .............. the weather in the Fort McMurray area cannot be forecast because who knows what the fire effect will be.

Will need to speak to my Canadian cousins and see how they're affected as they live in St Catharines, Ontario.

Andysmum .............

this is part of the problem ...... it has been a mild winter in large areas of Canada, and higher temperatures than normal in March and April

Less snow + higher temperatures means faster snow melt, and dry grass, shrubs and trees.

I live in a major city in BC, and we will be starting water restrictions on May 15th, it's usually June 1. A fire ban on campfires in an area in central BC has been in place for at least the last 3 weeks.

The fire warnings are currently high to extreme over much of BC, most of Alberta, and most of Saskatchewan .................. the 3 western provinces.

For the rest of the country, fire warnings are extreme in south western Ontario, then moderate to high eastwards to New Brunswick


see the map ...........

http://cwfis.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/maps/fw

My sister lives near Calgary, so is fortunately nowhere near the fires. She says they have had a fairly mild winter with much less snow than usual.

Fort McMurray is several hundred kilometres to the north of where I live. The wildfire meant that 80,000 people were evacuated. It must have been terrifying driving through this area.

Here is a dash cam video taken by Michel Cumberland as he escaped his neighbourhood. The flames are right beside him as he drove out of the area where he lived.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E_OLgC4nV0

discovered my cousin lives in Quebec

This is on the BBC News site and is the last sentence on the article about the fire Sylvia.

Cooler temperatures and rain are forecast, giving hope that it could become easier to contain the blaze.

I must buy a decent map of Canada. I am not very sure of its geography. I know I have relatives in Saskatchewan, wherever that is in relation to Alberta and BC.

Pat .............

We're not hearing that here ...........

Weather reports here this evening say there is no sign of a good rain fall, and that that is the only way the Alberta fire is going to be knocked down. It is too large and fierce for anything other than a good rain fall.

There are now 22 water bombers, plus helicopters, dropping water and fire retardant, and they are not making much of a dent in it. Some of the bombers can carry 6,000 litres of water.

Hints are being given that it will be "more than days" before people will be allowed back in to Fort Mac.

Thank you Sylvia for updating the situation.

Have checked on the news this morning and they are trying to airlift some of the people. There is a weather forecast for rain, I do hope they get a downpour that helps stop the fire.

Trudeau?

you mean you haven't heard about our heart throb???????????

I thought he'd been in the news all over the world :-D

truly heartbreaking - I have a cousin Canada but no idea where - will have to find out

thinking how little we hear of Canada in the news

As a further note ............ it seems that 2 people were killed in a car crash yesterday that happened further south on the highway, close to Edmonton, I believe.

They had, I understand, left Fort Mac on Tuesday, camped overnight somewhere, but then something happened.

Details are still very short on what happened.

Those are the only casualties that I have heard about .....................


but many people did have to leave their pets or other animals behind.