Alberta Wildfires...DISASTER

[CanuckHoss]

Here is a link to a report on a Wildfire in Fort McMurray....the city home to the Tar Sands employees in Northern Alberta.

The whole city population of 70,000 people were told at 6pm tonite to evacuate.

Gwen.s cousin lives there and we have not heard if her family are safe...praying hard!!

Watch the video and see how close the fires are to people on the highway that are trying to flee...unbelieveable disaster.

Homes and businesses are burning out of control..gas stations are exploding.

There was an unexpected change in the winds late yesterday or this morning even though the fire was close before.

Keep these folks in your thoughts and prayers.

http://globalnews.ca/news/2677885/mayor ... 25600240=1

[V8Bikers]

Damn Barry, that sucks! Hope you hear soon that Gwens family is safe and others are able to evacuate safely.

[Iron Maiden]

[CanuckHoss]

They are safe....thank God AND no deeaths yet...they made it out but lost their house and all their belongings.

this morning 1,600 homes and businesses were lost with no end in site to stopping the fire in the city.

One fire fighter said the fire now has a mind of its own and wants to destroy the city

[Iron Maiden]

That is soooooo sad! Keep us posted

[CanuckHoss]

Do a search on Fort McMurray and find lots and lots of terrifying videos.

The fire grew 8 times it size yesterday...due to a 40 mph wind..no end in sight..

Officials now say the whole town or most of it will burn to the ground...that is a town of a population of almost 90,000 of which those who don't work in town work in the Tar Sands. The Tar Sands have lost 1/3 of it's production.

To put in perspective....that is almost the population of Daytona Beach and Ormond beach combined!!!!

4,000 people evacuated to the North because they had to and are now trapped North of the town without food and water...Military aircraft are trying to get them all safe. There is only one road to the North that really goes nowhere except out of the fires.

Please send your thoughts and prayers.

[Orlando606VetteTrike]

Prayers go out to those who have been negatively effected by these fires.

[GordonBH]

Horrific disaster! I can't believe the calmness of the evacuating people right next to massive fires. All possessions being lost, and I know that insurance doesn't cover the personal losses.

When I first heard I checked the proximity of Airdrie and fortunately you are far away.

Prayers to all in the area.

[CanuckHoss]

Still going...over 1,000,000 acres!! Fort Mac the city of 80,000 is still evacuated. Might be able to go to homes still standing on June 1st. Homes and businesses lost totalled something like 2,000. At one point they thought the whole city might go,.

Now fires are making camps evacuate. Camps where a lot of fly in workers keep the Tar Sands going.

This fire will not stop by man's hand I don't believe. Only a big rain.

http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/edmo ... -1.3587320

[Iron Maiden]

WOW- unbelievable ! Can't even imagine the devastation. Please keep us updated.

[CanuckHoss]

Susan,

The rain and snow this weekend has helped. The city is still scheduled to let people in June 1st.

I have been thinking about all the clean up needing to be done. But one thing I never thought of and was mentioned on the radio a couple days ago was the grocery stores and their meat and produce. Power has been shut off for weeks. Picture what you favourite grocery store would look like if they just waked out and shut the power off and came back weeks later. It has to be bloody nasty, Walkin meat freezers etc. The cleanup for those alone is going to take weeks. And peoples fridges and freezers in the homes that did not burn...YUK!!

[Iron Maiden]

Thanks for the update- I can't even imagine the devastation but did you say SNOW!!