FORT MCMURRAY, Canada (AFP) – by Cole Buston The first convoys of weary, anxious residents returned to wildfire-ravaged Fort McMurray on Wednesday, a month after they were forced to flee the Canadian oil city due to the inferno. Physically-exhausted and worried about what had become of their homes, the returnees were welcomed by a giant Canadian flag tied to the ladders of two firetrucks and billboards that read “Together we will rebuild” and “We are here, […]
Tag: Fort McMurray
Canada wildfires destroy oil workers’ lodge
OTTAWA , Canada (AFP) — Wildfires sweeping through Canada’s Alberta province on Tuesday destroyed a remote lodge used to house hundreds of oil workers and threatened other camps north of the blaze-hit city of Fort McMurray, a top official said. Thousands of people had been evacuated overnight from the lodges, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of the blaze-hit city, as the fires spread and intensified, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley told a press conference. The […]
Flare-ups, thick smoke from Canadian wildfires delay residents’ return
MONTREAL, Canada (AFP) — Thick smoke and a risk of flare-ups are delaying residents’ return to fire-ravaged Fort McMurray in Canada, the province of Alberta’s premier said Monday. “There’s active fire growth on all fronts surrounding the community and a number of hotspots within the town,” Premier Rachel Notley told a nationally televised press conference. Elsewhere in the province new forest fires broke out over the weekend for a total of 15 separate blazes, three […]
Iglesia Ni Cristo brethren in Canada bring aid, relief goods for forest fire victims
By Jonah Grace Lopez Eagle News Service, Canada bureau ALBERTA, Canada (Eagle News) – On May 10, coinciding with the 130th birth anniversary of the Late Brother Felix Y. Manalo, whom the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church of Christ) members believe to be God’s Last Messenger, some 200 church members drove almost three hours from Edmonton to Lac la Biche in Alberta, Canada where some 2000 relief good bags were handed out. Many of […]
Canada fire ‘out of control,’ may double in size
by Michel Comte Fort McMurray, Canada (AFP) — A ferocious wildfire wreaking havoc in Canada was expected to double in size Saturday, officials warned, cautioning that the situation in the parched Alberta oil sands region was “unpredictable and dangerous.” “This remains a big, out of control, dangerous fire,” Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said of the raging inferno the size of London that forced the evacuation of the city of Fort McMurray. Winds were pushing […]
INC brethren in Canada prepare aid for wildfire victims
(Eagle News) — Iglesia Ni Cristo members in Canada prepare food and other items to help victims of the forest fire still raging in Fort McMurray in Alberta, Canada. Some of those affected by the wildfires have already reached Edmonton, Canada with harrowing tales of how they had escaped the infernal flames. The usual five hours of driving time from Fort McMurray to Edmonton became 15 hours of travel time because of heavy traffic […]
INC brethren in Canada prepare food and aid for forest fire victims
Iglesia Ni Cristo members in Canada prepare food and other items to help those in need in Canada, including the people affected by the raging forest fire in Fort McMurray, Canada. Many of residents in the areas where the fires continue to rage drove to Edmonton, as they tried to escape the wildfires that had engulfed their homes. (Eagle News Service)
Raging forest fires in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada
Canada says forest fire evacuees face long wait before returning home
MONTREAL, Cnada (AFP) — Tens of thousands of people evacuated from the Canadian city of Ft. McMurray because of raging forest fires face a long wait to return home, an official said Thursday. The damage from the blazes is major and there is no way to predict when evacuees can go home, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said. “Unfortunately, we do know that it will not be a matter of days,” she told a news conference. […]
Fort McMurray evacuees eager to return home gather on edge of fire zone
by Michel COMTE WANDERING RIVER , Canada (AFP) — A handful of abandoned cars wrapped in yellow police ribbons still lined the ditches along the main roadway to Fort McMurray Thursday, days after a massive exodus from the wildfire-stricken Canadian city. The bumper-to-bumper traffic that had clogged the roadway in recent days has dissipated. Only a few government and emergency vehicles still speed up and down Highway 63, which has been closed to non-essential traffic […]
Canada wildfires cause panic
(Eagle News) — These photos of the ongoing wildfire in the Canadian City of Fort McMurray show what residents see there as they try to evacuate from the city. These photos were taken by Eagle News’ Brother Napoleon Manalo Jr., who, along with his family, were among those who evacuated from the area. The raging wildfires burned many houses and establishments, and residents hurriedly left with whatever belongings they can carry. Brother Napoleon said they […]
Canadian city evacuated as huge blaze engulfs homes
MONTREAL, Canada (AFP) — Most of the 100,000 residents of the Canadian city of Fort McMurray were ordered to leave town late Tuesday as a fire swept through the oil sands region, in Alberta province’s largest ever evacuation. “All of Fort McMurray is under a mandatory evacuation order,” Alberta emergency services announced, after previously indicating that the northern edge of the fire was “growing rapidly.” The airport was still open. “Be patient, drive safely and please […]
