Canadian City Evacuated As Wildfires Engulf The Fort McMurray

CBC: Fort McMurray wildfire remains out of control after city evacuated

60,000 flee as wildfire leaps highway and into city

A huge wildfire in Fort McMurray, Alta., destroyed an entire neighbourhood and burned homes and businesses in several others Tuesday, and continues to rage out of control.

By late afternoon, the entire city of 60,000 had been ordered evacuated. Residents by the thousands fled the fire and for hours caused gridlock on Highway 63, even overwhelming oilsands work camps, where beds and meals were offered. Police were patrolling the highway with cans of gas, after fuel supplies ran out in Fort McMurray, Wandering River and Grasslands.

Fire chief Darby Allen said the entire neighbourhood of Beacon Hill "appears to have been lost" and the fire burned many homes in other parts of the city.

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WNU Editor: A distant cousin of mine runs an oil service company in Fort McMurray, and one of my best friends works as an electrician for Suncor, a major player in Canada's oil industry. I talked to both of them this morning .... and they both said the same thing .... it is a disaster. Both of them were told to evacuate within minutes, and in the case of my electrician friend .... the home where he has been staying did survive, but homes up the street have been destroyed. Predictions are that the situation is going to get worse .... especially with the expectation that wind gusts now going to pick up appreciably later today .... Fort McMurray devastated by raging wildfire, officials say it could get worse (CTV)

More News On The Fort McMurray Fire Disaster

Live Updates On the Fort McMurray Disaster -- CBC
‘It was raining ash’: Wildfire sparks exodus from Fort McMurray -- Globe and Mail
Residents evacuated as fires threaten Canada oil sands town -- AP
Wildfire destroys homes in Fort McMurray; 80,000 ordered evacuated -- Reuters
Fort McMurray Blaze, Fast and Unpredictable, Keeps Firefighters at a Distance -- NYT
A Canadian oil-sands town is on fire; 80,000 residents must evacuate -- Washington Post
Raging wildfire forces 80,000 to flee Canadian town -- USA Today
Fort McMurray fire: Entire city evacuated as inferno rages -- CNN
Canadian Wildfire Destroys 80% of Homes in Fort McMurray Suburb -- Time
Canadian city evacuated as wildfire spreads -- DW
Fort McMurray: Canada wildfires force evacuation of oil sands city -- The Guardian
A Canadian Oil Boomtown Flees a Wildfire -- The Atlantic
Wildfire forces evacuation of Canada's Fort McMurray -- Al Jazeera