CTV News Edmonton’s Bill Fortier reported on Thursday that the fire is about seven times the size of Edmonton.
The wildfire, known as “the beast,” grew 57,000 hectares in just 24 hours, fueled by the boreal forest’s extremely dry conditions and strong winds. Wildfire information officer Travis Fairweather on Wednesday attributed the “pretty significant” growth to “extreme fire conditions,” according to CBC Canada.
On Wednesday, Alberta officials announced evacuees who fled the wildfire in Fort McMurray could start returning home on June 1. But with chronic air pollution, the air quality index earlier this week was spiking at 38, on a scale that goes from one to 10. The air is still too dangerous for most people, especially those with breathing problems and pregnant women.
But a new concern is the fear that the beast of a wildfire will slip into the bordering province of Saskatchewan. By Wednesday afternoon, the beast was about five kilometers (3 miles) from the Saskatchewan border. The province has already established a wildfire base camp in the small community of Buffalo Narrows so they can use air tankers and helicopters along the eastern edge of the fire. Needless to say, the dangerous wildfire is expected to reach into Saskatchewan today as firefighters desperately try to control it.
A number of tar sands facilities have been destroyed or are still being threatened. One facility, the 665-bed camp belonging to Horizon Lodge Logistics, was completely destroyed by the fire. On Tuesday, the Noralta Lodge camp, just a few kilometers east of Blacksand was threatened, reports EcoWatch.
When the beast shifted direction Tuesday afternoon, heading toward the Syncrude and Suncor Energy tar sands facilities, workers were evacuated, leaving a small contingent of the fire crews. Officials say the facilities are well protected because of a wide deforested area surrounding the sites.
“Over the last 48 hours it has certainly grown significantly, particularly along the eastern edge, growing toward the Saskatchewan border, but also growing north toward the oilsands facilities,” said Bruce Macnab, with the Northern Forestry Centre in Edmonton. As he says, what happens next will depend on the weather.
This report has just come in from CTV News. The wildfire has now crossed into Saskatchewan. At a news conference today, Alberta wildfire manager Chad Morrison said that approximately 700 hectares (17 acres) are burning on the Saskatchewan side of the border.
