Fort McMurrey is on fire

[Grant Lamontagne]

The town of Fort McMurry in Alberta is currently on fire- the blaze is out of control and houses are being destroyed, with tens of thousands of people being evacuated. 

http://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/homes-are-on-fire-as-we-speak-tens-of-thousands-forced-to-flee-as-fort-mcmurray-burns

The videos are horrific- you see cars trying to escape on the only highway into or out of town while an inferno several stories high rages  just a few feet away.  It's a scary situation and I have more than a few friends in Fort Mac, as do most Canadians as it is largely an industry town that employs people from all across the country.  A lot of people are on a monthly rotation there, three weeks in Fort Mac, one week at home.

I know we have a few members out that way, and I hope they are okay.  Or at least as okay as you can be when you are displaced and wondering if your home will still be there. 



Def

[zoidberg]

Saw it on the news earlier tonight, super scary.      

[pfrsantos]

Read about it this morning, talking about 80.000 people moving from there.

Hope everyone is safe and they can control the fire quickly.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I have heard from a few friends there and they are ok.  One woman I went to high school with had to evacuate with her son and their dogs, leaving her husband behind.   He's in the military and I imagine is helping with whatever needs doing there.

They were permanent residents and not on rotation so they are wondering if they will have a house to go back to.  So far it is still there according to their remote security cameras, but who knows how long that will last.

Def

[SteveC]

Wow that is scary ! Hopefully they can get it under control soon.

[Aloha]

My heart goes out to the people affected.   

[Whoey]

Some of the photos I'm seeing are pretty terrifying.

like: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1017329544980743&id=251089648271407

[Gareth]

I heard a little about this on the morning radio but I hadn't realised it was so out of control.  Thoughts and prayers go out to those affected.

[derekmac]

It's a very scary scene out there right now


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[SAK Guy]

Wildfires are so devastating!!!!

[ColoSwiss]

Sounds like a real mess. Hope everyone makes it out ok.

[Grant Lamontagne]

When I was a kid I wanted to be a fire jumper.   I think after seeing what's happening there now I'd be looking at retiring now if I had gone that route.

Def

[Chako]

Not good news at all. Last I heard, around 1600 buildings went up in flames.

I just came from visiting some good friends. All 3 of their children moved out to Alberta. While I was there, their son, who lives in Mayerthorp, called to let them know there was a second wild fire in his region, and was told to be prepared to evacuate at a moments notice by the local authorities.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/wildfire-in-lac-ste-anne-county-prompts-mandatory-evacuation-1.3566724

[Grant Lamontagne]

One thing I am very impressed by,  is that so far there doesn't appear to be any fatalities.  While the loss of homes is indeed tragic, and I am certainly not trying to belittle that loss, I am very glad to hear that no one has been killed.  At least not yet.  I hope this continues throughout the crisis, and that everyone has a chance to rebuild.

Def

[Whoey]

the fire claimed its first fatality — in a car accident near Lac La Biche, as thousands continued to flee south

http://www.metronews.ca/news/edmonton/2016/05/04/city-in-cinders-the-apocalyptic-scene-in-fort-mcmurray.html

[derekmac]

With videos showing people having to drive feet from the fires, I too am surprised that no one has perished.  So incredibly happy no one has though, and hope no one does.  I really can't imagine what they are going through. 

[ducttapetech]

the fire claimed its first fatality — in a car accident near Lac La Biche, as thousands continued to flee south

http://www.metronews.ca/news/edmonton/2016/05/04/city-in-cinders-the-apocalyptic-scene-in-fort-mcmurray.html

Damn. Not to take away from that, still I was thinking there was going to be a whole lot more. People getting trapped, more car wrecks and the such. That is straight up hell on earth.
Those firefighters are some bad ass mofos.

That's us mobile

[Grant Lamontagne]

Two fatalities now, both a result of that accident I believe.

Def

[rishardh]

Very scary images. Hope everyone makes out ok and no more casualties. When hurricanes approaches the Gulf Coast cities both ways of all major roads are opened for north bound traffic to get away. Hope they did something similar to ease the traffic. Might not be easy to do if support vehicles use the same roads.

[tjfarrington2000]

Wow. I am just speechless. The entire town........gone. I feel so sorry for those poor people.


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[kirk13]

That is genuinely terrifying! Terrible for those living through it,and a reminder to the rest of us of the power of nature!

[Grant Lamontagne]

Labatt's has suspended production of beer for a while and is producing cans of water and sending it to the displaced residents of Fort Mac.  There are a number of companies doing things to help and I think it's great to see everyone is pulling together to help out.  I've even seen people offering their camping trailers, hooked up to electricity and water in their driveway to displaced people that have nowhere to go.

Someone on the radio said that if you have lost faith in humanity, just look at the outpouring of support being given to the 80,000 plus residents and you can't help but feel better.

Def

[Whoey]

some companies are doing good I heard westjet sent 10-12 planes to get people out at no charge.

https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=%23beyonddisgusting

Shows the screenshot (attached) with a flight check for YEG (Edmonton, Alberta) to YYT (St. John's International - Newfoundland)

Westjet priced at ~$600, Air Canada ~$4400  (they do have a different layover)

Apparently since rectified, but what a public relations disaster that is for them.

[SteveC]

The smoke has made it down to the twin cities here in Minnesota. Had to close the windows in the middle of the night due to the smell of smoke. Woke up to a smoky haze outside.

[Grant Lamontagne]

some companies are doing good I heard westjet sent 10-12 planes to get people out at no charge.

https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=%23beyonddisgusting

Shows the screenshot (attached) with a flight check for YEG (Edmonton, Alberta) to YYT (St. John's International - Newfoundland)

Westjet priced at ~$600, Air Canada ~$4400  (they do have a different layover)

Apparently since rectified, but what a public relations disaster that is for them.

As I understand it, Air Canada uses an automated system to determine pricing based on availability.  I would imagine that there were a lot of inquiries, and until more flights were added the system probably looked at it as a supply/demand thing.  I really don't hold Air Canada responsible for that, as it is hard to just conjure up planes and arrange fuel, landing strips etc.  Yeah, Westjet was faster at doing it, but Air Canada is a much bigger operation and can't change directions as quickly.

The smoke has made it down to the twin cities here in Minnesota. Had to close the windows in the middle of the night due to the smell of smoke. Woke up to a smoky haze outside.

There were wildfires in Quebec when Whoey and I were in high school, and we experienced a lot of the smoke hundreds of miles away in Nova Scotia.  And this fire is much, much bigger than that one.  It's amazing how much area is affected by these kinds of things, even indirectly.

Def

[SteveC]

I guess we have some fires up in northern Minnesota as well that are contributing to the smoke.

[Whoey]

looks like Air Canada is trying to redeem themselves after getting slaughtered on social media.

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/05/06/air-canada-fares-fort-mcmurray_n_9859898.html

[Grant Lamontagne]

Nailed it.... 

I'm hearing the fires are now reaching the next province, Saskatchewan. 

I'm also hearing folks calling this the worst disaster in Canadian history, which is something I am a bit leery to agree with.  While the fire and loss of industry and land are significant, there have only been two reported fatalities.  While people may not be the sole measure of a disaster, there have been a lot of people killed in a lot worse incidents than this.

Def

[tjfarrington2000]

The smoke has made it down to the twin cities here in Minnesota. Had to close the windows in the middle of the night due to the smell of smoke. Woke up to a smoky haze outside.

Really? Nothing more than a haze in Cedar Rapids.

[SteveC]

The smoke has made it down to the twin cities here in Minnesota. Had to close the windows in the middle of the night due to the smell of smoke. Woke up to a smoky haze outside.

Really? Nothing more than a haze in Cedar Rapids.

From the Star tribune

14 hours ago downtown Minneapolis