There is no let up in the massive wildfire near Fort McMurray in Alberta, Canada; latest reports received from the rescue staff and other media report that the devastating
fires are growing bigger and bigger with each passing minute and is now estimated at more than six times of the original blaze.

The uncontrollable blaze spells doom for the flora and fauna in the energy heartland of Canada with gusts of wind and the prevailing low humidity further complicating the conditions there.

Many cities have been totally gutted, whole communities displaced and pipelines and lines of communication have been disrupted apart from the blockage of the roads and
highways making access difficult for the rescue services to arrest the further advance of the fires.

The effects of the massive blaze are simply enormous with the main effects being financial, environmental and logistical and creating all round chaos in the
deeply wooded region. The oil production in many oil production facilities has been hampered; several projects and pipelines have been disrupted.

News agencies reported that about 7,00,000 barrels of crude production has already been stopped with further reports coming in of oil producers shutting down
operations as the fire moves southwards at an amazing speed.

The fire, in its southwards march, is forcing closure of homes, oil producing facilities and other enterprises and is currently reported to be nearing Surmount;
Conoco Phillips, which produces in excess of 30, 000 barrels per day is also known to be winding up its operations in anticipation of the closure of some highways and arterial roads.

The oil sands region has innumerable oil producing facilities but, most of them are located north of the city of Fort McMurray.

The red hot alert

A major forest fire that developed outside the oil town of Fort McMurray which lies in Western Canada and is likely to reduce the booming town to ashes; all
emergency services have been pressed into service in a massive rescue effort that is trying to reduce this town to ashes.

A total of ninety thousand citizens have been moved to safer locations to avoid any loss of life; more than 1800 residential and utility structures and was threatening a
number of communities that were located in the Southern areas of the city and its airport too.

A few communities and been reduced to ashes as the strong winds carried the fire faster than the rescue workers could handle; it was reported that the visibility
was drastically reduced due to the heavy smoke and dust kicked up by the fleeing residents and the rushing rescue services.

Fort McMurray is an oil city located in the midst of the oil sands areas and falls in the Northeastern parts of Alberta; thousands of other houses and
establishments were likely to be gobbled up by the swirling fires that enveloped the dense forests.

When reports last came in, a hotel had been consumed by fire towards the Northern side of the Main Terminal and the advancing fires creating
thick black smoke billowing in the whole area making visibility scarce.

The rapidly moving wildfires were forcing the local authorities to launch a regular campaign of updates so that communities falling in the route could be
warned sufficiently in advance as the fires raged unhindered.

The Anzac region, the Gregoire Lakes Estates and communities as far as 100 Kms South of Fort McMurray had been kept in a state of a red hot alert
and begin moving to areas that did not fall in the route on which the fires were progressing.

Meanwhile, the rescue camps and forces were also being moved South and relocated constantly to move with the advancing fires,

Officials at the rescue centres were constantly tweeting constantly and had reported that they were moving to the town of Lac La Biche which was more than 250
km south of Anzac. An accident between evacuees, who were moving away haphazardly in their attempts to flee the deadly fires, was the only reported casualties
meaning that the fires themselves did not cause any fatalities.

It was a rare sight to see families and children from various communities camping in open spaces and stadiums, arenas, and playgrounds and premises of
schools and colleges; most of these disjointed communities were suffering from a shortage of essential items and foods and clothing including blankets etc.

The fires and the resultant smoke was so dense that people reported seeing billowing smoke from as far away as 60 Kms.

End of part 1

Author: Umrao Singh

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