On May 1, 2016, the fire began in southwest Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. On May 3, it swept through the community, forcing the largest wildfire evacuation in Alberta's history, with more than 88,000 people forced from their homes. Personnel from Canadian Forces, Royal Canadian Police, as well as firefighters from Alberta, other Canadian provincial institutions, and South Africa responded to forest fires. Aid to refugees is provided by various governments and through donations through the Canadian Red Cross and other local and national charitable organizations.
Sweeping Fort McMurray, the fire burned around 2,400 homes and buildings. 2,000 other residents in three communities evacuated after their homes were declared unsafe due to conservation due to contamination. It continues to spread throughout northern Alberta and into Saskatchewan, consume forest areas and impact on Athabasca oil sands operations. With an estimated damage cost of C $ 9.9 billion, it is the most expensive disaster in Canadian history.
The fire spread around 590,000 hectares (1,500,000 hectares) before it was declared to be controlled on July 5, 2016. It continued to burn, and completely extinguished on August 2, 2017. It is thought to be caused by humans in remote areas of 15 kilometers (9.3Ã, mi) from Fort McMurray, but no official cause has been determined to date.
Video 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire
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The local emergency was initially announced on May 1 at 9:57 am. MDT (03:57 UTC 2 May) with Centennial Trailer Park and Prairie Creek and Gregoire neighborhoods under mandatory evacuation. The evacuation orders for the two environments were reduced to voluntary residential orders on the night of May 2 when the fire moves southwest and away from the area. The evacuation order must be restored and expanded to 12 neighborhoods on May 3rd at 5:00 am. (23:00 UTC), and to the whole Fort McMurray at 6:49 pm. (00:49 UTC May 4). Further sequences covering the nearby communities of Anzac, Gregoire Lake Estates, and Fort McMurray First Nation are issued at 09:50. On May 4 (03:50 UTC 5 May). It has been reported that 88,000 people were successfully evacuated, with no casualties or injuries reported, but two people, Aaron Hodgson and Emily Ryan, were killed in a vehicle crash during the evacuation, one of whom was the daughter of a firefighter. Despite mandatory evacuation orders, staff at the water treatment plant remain at Fort McMurray to provide firefighters with water.
On May 4, the Buffalo Regional Municipality reported that Beacon Hill, Abasand and Waterways communities have suffered "serious losses". The Alberta government declared a provincial emergency, and said 1,600 buildings had been destroyed by fires. An estimated 10,000 hectares (25,000 hectares) of land have been burned. Evakue who travels north of Fort McMurray are advised to stay where they are, and do not come south on Highway 63 because the fire is still burning out of control. Boiling water advisers are issued for the entire area only after 11 pm (17:00 UTC). At 4:05 pm (22:05 UTC) the fire crossed Highway 63 at Airport Road (formerly HighwayÃ, 69), south of Fort McMurray, and threatened an international airport, which had suspended commercial operations earlier in the day. The fire also forced the location of the Regional Emergency Operations Center, which was originally located around the airport. On May 4, a fire was found to produce lightning clouds and pyrocumulus clouds due to the heat and large size, which adds to the risk of more fires. The fire becomes big enough to create a storm of fire, creating its own weather in the form of wind and lightning waves.
The fire continued to spread southward on 5 May at 85,000 hectares (210,000 hectares) and forced additional evacuations in the Anzac community, Gregoire Lake Estates and Fort McMurray First Nation. These communities have received more than 8,000 people during the initial evacuation. The Alberta government announced plans to transport about 8,000 of the 25,000 people who had been evacuated to an oil sands labor camp north of Fort McMurray, with help from Royal Canadian Air Force Hercules, and other aircraft owned by energy companies operating in oil sands. Government officials will also examine the potential for evacuation through Highway 63 during the flyover. 1,100 personnel, 45 helicopters, 138 pieces of heavy equipment and 22 air tankers used to extinguish the fire.
On May 6, Canadian Royal Mounting Police began leading the convoy to move 1,500 vehicles from an oil sand work camp north of Fort McMurray, south along Highway 63 to Edmonton. The fire continued to grow out of control, spreading to 100,000 hectares (250,000 hectares) on May 6, and 156,000 hectares (390,000 hectares) on May 7. As the fire grew in the northeast, the Fort McKay community, which hosts 5,000 refugees. from Fort McMurray, itself is put under evacuation notices. The fire is anticipated to be twice the size, and reaches the Saskatchewan border in the east.
Wild fire continued to spread through remote forest areas the following week, reaching oil and work camps in the south of Fort MacKay, forcing the evacuation of 19 oil sites and camps with about 8,000 workers. One cottage with 665 units destroyed. The fire continued to grow, from 285,000 hectares (700,000 hectares) on May 16 to 504,443 hectares (1,246,510 hectares) on May 21 and even spread over 741 hectares (1,830 acres) in Saskatchewan. While the fire moves away from Fort McMurray, two explosions and poor air quality continue to deter the population and rebuild the crew from returning to town. By May 18, the flames had grown to 423,000 hectares (1,050,000 hectares) and expanded into Saskatchewan. In mid-June, rain and cooler temperatures helped firefighters to withstand fire, and on July 4, 2016, the fire was restrained. The fire is still considered active over the next year, after moistening a layer of moss and deeper dirt throughout the winter.
On August 2, 2017, with no further attacks or hot spot detection by a thermal survey conducted during the summer, provincial officials stated that forest fires would be extinguished.
Help response
The Alberta government declared a provincial emergency for Fort McMurray and issued an official request for assistance from the Canadian Armed Forces. The Government and the Ministry of National Defense signed a memorandum of understanding on May 4, detailing the necessary assistance and use of helicopters for rescue operations. Shortly after, Hercules CC-130 left CFB Trenton and the helicopter was sent to the affected area. Alberta also requested assistance from the Government of Ontario, and Ontario committed to send 100 firefighters and 19 supervisory staff, coordinated through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center. Other provinces across the country offer support. On May 5, four CL-415 water bombers from Quebec Service aÃÆ' Â © rien gouvernemental (fr) departed from the province to assist in firefighting efforts. Royal Canadian Mounted Police coordinates and provides most of the security response with help from Alberta Fish and Wildlife and Alberta Sheriffs Branch.
Australia, Israel, Mexico, the Palestinian Authority, Russia, Taiwan, and the United States offered international assistance in the fight against the fire, even though the offer was rejected by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Trudeau said that while the offer was valued, they were not needed because firefighters from other provinces in Canada gained control of the situation. South Africa sent 301 firefighters at the request of the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center at the end of May. Firefighters were trained during April in a training camp to learn how to use a special hose instead of a rubber-coated wooden stick known as the "fireworks" they used in their home country for lack of water. Less than a week after being deployed, South Africans strike due to wage disputes and demobilized. Alberta Premier Rachel Notley promises to address this issue and ensure that firefighters are paid a minimum of C $ 11.20 per hour as required by provincial labor laws, rather than the C $ 15 per day allowance specified in their contracts with African employers South them.
The Alberta government provides $ 1,250 per adult and $ 500 per person to cover living expenses for those who have been evacuated. On May 4, the provincial government committed to matching donations awarded to the Canadian Red Cross, as well as donating an additional $ 2 million as seed money; the federal government promised to match all donations to the Canadian Red Cross the next day, with a set deadline of 31 May. On May 9, $ 54 million has been donated to the Red Cross, excluding suitable government contributions.
On May 4, Canada's Public Safety activated the International Charter Chamber and the Great Disaster, thus providing for the assignment of charity and humanity from a variety of satellite assets from fifteen space agencies. Then, Edmonton Capital Property Corporation (CRHC), together with Edmonton City, Housing Owners' Association, and Yardi Canada Ltd., announced a partnership to create a list of rental properties for the Fort McMurray evacuation. The nonprofit initiative will offer this service for free to landlords over the next six months. Some landlords have offered incentives for wild evacuation, including reduced bail, reduced rent, or free rent for a month or more.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Fort McMurray on May 13 to conduct a damage survey and promise ongoing assistance from the federal government in the coming months. The Governor-General, David Johnston, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, met with first responders and visited the environmental ruins of Beacon Hill Fort McMurray on June 24, 2016.
Maps 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire
Impact
Community and infrastructure
Initial estimates from May 4 show that 1,600 structures at Fort McMurray were destroyed. Firefighters work through May 6 and 7 to hold the line and protect downtown and the rest of the house at Fort McMurray. On May 9, this figure was revised to 2,400 structures, and about 85 to 90 percent of communities reported undamaged. Last night on May 16-17, two explosions occurred in the Thickwood and Dickensfield neighborhoods, damaging ten buildings and destroying three buildings.
The municipal power grid was damaged. Almost the entire area of ​​Fort McMurray was placed under the guidance of boiling water during a fire, because the untreated water was placed into the municipal water system to supply firefighters. Boiling water advisers are lifted in all areas of Fort McMurray on August 17, 2016.
Statistics Canada suspended enumeration activities for the 2016 Census in the Fort McMurray area on May 5. Alternatives for collecting data from residents will be determined in the future. Shortly after reentry, citizens are encouraged to complete their census forms online or by phone; But door-to-door enumerations continue to be suspended.
The settlements of Waterways, Abasand, and Beacon Hill after being badly burned were then declared unsafe for reoccupation, due to contamination from arsenic and heavy metals. This environment also has no water service because of damage to the water system.
Operation of oil sands
Wild flames also halt the production of oil sands at the northern Fort McMurray facility. Shell Canada closed production at the Albian Sands mining operation, located approximately 70 km (43 mi) north of Fort McMurray. The company says its priority is to get employees and their families out of the area, and provide capacity at work camps for some refugees. Shell also provides landing routes to fly their employees and families to Calgary or Edmonton and provide two teams to support the firefighting efforts in the area.
Suncor Energy and Syncrude Canada also reduced operations. The Millennium and North Steepbank Suncor mines are two of the oldest and oldest mining and oil operations in the Fort McMurray region, and the Syncred oil mine in Mildred Lake is 35 km (22 miles) north of Fort McMurray. Companies are accommodating 2,000 other refugees in their respective work camps. On May 7, Syncrude closed all sites and processing operations, removing 4,800 employees from the area. On May 16th, all 665 rooms at Blacksands Executive Lodge, a work camp, were set on fire. Earlier in the day, some 8,000 people were ordered out of 19 camps; about 6,000 remain. On May 17, the fire reached Noralta Lodge, a few kilometers east of the Blacksands.
Around one million barrels of oil per day, equivalent to a quarter of Canada's oil output, was halted by a fire in May 2016. This continued into June at 700,000 barrels per day. The lost output is estimated at Albertan's economic cost of $ 70 million per day, and is a contributing factor to the rise in global oil prices. The reverse-scale operation, along with a power plant outage in Edmonton, has caused many gas stations to run out of gas across Western Canada. Oil companies restore production and anticipate all financial impacts will wear off at the end of the third fiscal quarter.
Financial
Initial insurance payments are estimated to amount to as much as C $ 9 billion if the entire community has to be rebuilt. On July 7, 2016, the Canada Insurance Bureau (IBC) and the Disaster and Quantification Index Inc. (CatIQ) reported that the insured damage is estimated to have reached $ 3.58 billion, making the fire the most expensive disaster in Canadian history, surpassing 1998 ice storms in Quebec ($ 1.9 billion) and the flood of Alberta 2013 ($ 1.8 billion). The 2011 Slave Lake Wildfire, which destroyed a third of the town of Slave Lake, cost about $ 750 million and was the most expensive fire-related disaster in Canadian history. The larger damage estimate is the result of Fort McMurray being 10 times the size of Slave Lake. Further estimates based on the current damage are estimated to be as high as $ 4.7 billion in insurance payments.
Causes and contributing factors
The official cause of the fire has not been determined to date, but is thought to be caused by humans, beginning in a remote area of ​​15 kilometers (9.3 miles) from Fort McMurray.
During the early days of the fire, very hot and dry air masses were above Northern Alberta, bringing record temperatures to Fort McMurray. On May 3, the temperature rose to 32.8 Ã, Â ° C (91Ã, Â ° F), accompanied by a relative humidity as low as 12%. The situation increased on May 4 when temperatures reached 31.9 ° C (89 ° F) and winds blew up to 72 km/h (45 mph). This significantly contributes to the rapid growth of fire. The winter that precedes the fires is drier than usual, leaving behind a dimly lit snowpack, which melts quickly. Combined with high temperatures, this creates a "perfect storm" condition for explosive forest fires.
Daniel Thompson, a fire research scientist with Natural Resources Canada in Edmonton, told Bloomberg News that the natural El Nià ± o cycle causes dry autumn and winter along with a warm spring. Weather conditions affect fires in a number of areas including Indonesia and the northwestern United States and Canada. A similar incident occurred in 1997-1998. Fire is a natural and important component of the boreal forest ecosystem.
The controversy arose over the discussion that climate change is one of the factors causing the fire, given the role played by Fort McMurray in the oil sands industry of Alberta. Some call it "insensitive" to discuss global warming during the crisis, while others argue that the crisis makes it "more important" to talk about the correlation between human-impacted climate change and forest fires. Canadian politicians and scientists warn that individual fires can not be specifically linked to climate change, but agree that it is part of a more intense trend of forest fires.
Re-entry and recovery
On May 18, the Alberta government tentatively announced the gradual re-entry of residents to Fort McMurray between June 1 and 15, 2016, given that a set of key conditions were met:
- Wild flames no longer pose a threat and hazardous areas can be secured;
- Local governments can be re-established; and,
- Essential services such as emergency services, transport, utilities, and critical businesses can be rebuilt, as well as the infrastructure that supports this service.
Residents are allowed to re-enter Fort McMurray and surrounding communities on schedule broken into residential zones.
The settlements of Waterways, Abasand, and Beacon Hill were badly burned, and declared unsafe for reoccupation due to contamination from arsenic and heavy metals from the remaining ash. 2,000 residents in this neighborhood are only allowed to conduct supervised visits to their homes, and rely on workers from non-profit organizations composed of former or members of the Canadian and US Armed Forces to filter out the remaining items. Between August 31 and October 24, 2016, residents from 470 homes in three neighborhoods can move into homes.
After a forest fire at Fort McMurray, Wood Buffalo Regional Municipality created a forest fire restoration plan, building a framework and government structure for recovery. Recovery funding is estimated to be above $ 4.5 billion: $ 615 million from the federal, provincial and municipal governments; $ 319 million from the Canadian Red Cross; and $ 3.58 billion from the insurance industry. As of January 2018, 90% of fire claims have been processed by the Canadian Insurance Bureau.
Reconstruction of affected communities is ongoing. The Buffalo Wood Regional Municipality renewed their Wildfire Mitigation Strategy in January 2018, which carries out a risk assessment for fire behavior. It is also proposed to clean up 867 hectares of vegetation, various accesses and security standards for planned infrastructure and land development, circulate community members about fire threats, co-operation and joint training between municipal and provincial departments, and updates for emergency plans. The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo also launched a policy designed to ensure houses are built with additional refractory materials, and are not built on floodplains. However, the insurance company only provides funds to restore pre-fire conditions, and an independent review by KPMG found that it was not possible.
See also
- Disaster list in Canada
- List of fires in Canada
- Canadian Boreal Forests
References
External links
- Fort McMurray Satellite Map - Government of Alberta
- Fort McMurray & amp; forest fire recovery of Buffalo County - Government of Alberta
- Alberta Forest Fires - The Government of Canada
- Fort McMurray, Alberta wildfire - PyroCb Blog, Institute of Cooperatives for the Study of Meteorological Satellites, University of Wisconsin
- Google Crisis Map - Fort McMurray Fire 2016 Now Wildland Fires Alberta
- MecElhatton, Heather, "Volunteer Drivers Help Save Canada's City Burning", A Beautiful World . Minnesota Public Radio. The story of volunteer truck drivers deliver food, fuel, and supplies to firefighters and stranded riders.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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