Donate
Environment

A fire in Canada has forced an entire city’s population to flee their homes

The World
Fort McMurray resident Crystal Maltais buckles in her daughter, Mckennah Stapley, as they prepare to leave Conklin, Alberta, for Lac La Biche after evacuating their home in Fort McMurray on Tuesday May 3, 2016.

Fort McMurray resident Crystal Maltais buckles in her daughter, Mckennah Stapley, as they prepare to leave Conklin, Alberta, for Lac La Biche after evacuating their home in Fort McMurray on Tuesday May 3, 2016.

Topher Seguin/Reuters

It looks like an apocalypse.

A massive wildfire has torn through the city of Fort McMurray, Alberta, forcing more than 80,000 residents to be evacuated. The fire started on Sunday, but no injuries have been reported.

Local officials say 80 percent of the neighborhood of Beacon Hill has been destroyed, but reporter Breanna Karstens-Smith says she has yet to see the other 20 percent.

"There are foundations and nothing else," she says. "We've seen burned-out trucks, strange, odd things like a bookcase that's still standing. It's such an eerie thing to see. Basically people's lives [have gone] up in flames. … There is nothing standing in Beacon Hill."

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, though a human cause is considered likely.

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said at a press conference that the evacuation was the largest in the history of the province. And high winds and hot temperatures could make the situation worse.

During the evacuation long lines of cars were framed by giant plumes of smoke and fire.

About 17,000 resident fled to the north, and another 35,000 headed south, with around 20,000 of those expected to flood into the capital of Edmonton via an extremely packed, two-lane highway.

Fire chief Darby Allen told the CBC the flames were out in the city itself, but some wooded areas are still on fire.

Fort McMurray lies in the heart of Canada's oil sands region, the third-largest proven crude oil reserve in the world. So far, there's been no reported damage to the facilities there, which are north of the city itself.

Are you with The World?

The story you just read is available to read for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, the reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.

When you make a gift of $10 or more a month, we’ll invite you to a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of our newsroom to thank you for being with The World.