80,000 evacuated as fires threaten Canada oil sands town

Smoke rises from a wildfire outside of Fort McMurray, Alberta, on Tuesday, May 3, 2016.
Smoke rises from a wildfire outside of Fort McMurray, Alberta, on Tuesday, May 3, 2016.

FORT MCMURRAY, Alberta — A wildfire forced the evacuation of the Canadian oil sands city of Fort McMurray, Alberta, destroying 80 percent of the homes in one neighborhood and extensively damaging property in a number of others, officials said Wednesday, warning that it could get worse in the coming hours.

More than 80,000 residents were ordered to flee as flames moved into the city, destroying whole neighborhoods. No injuries have been reported.

Unseasonably hot temperatures combined with dry conditions have transformed the boreal forest in much of Alberta into a tinder box. The wildfire threat ranged from very high to extreme in different areas.

An overnight update from the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo said the Beacon Hill suburb in the south end has suffered the most damage from flames with 80 percent of the homes lost. A dozen trailers on one street in the neighborhood of Timberlea have gone up in flames, with serious losses are reported in the Abasand and Waterways suburbs. Some homes have been lost in four other neighborhoods.

Fire chief Darby Allen told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. Wednesday that parts of wooded areas of the city are still burning but no structures were currently on fire. But Allen said that he's worried about the plumes of smoke he sees outside his window and worried about the wind and its direction.

"It could be even more devastating unfortunately," he said.

Firefighters were working to protect critical infrastructure, including the only bridge across the Athabasca River and Highway 63, the only route to the city from the south.

Read Thursday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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