Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Canada Fort McMurray

Seems to me I recall one member on the 'Fire from there. Hope all is well.

Scott;
Good morning to you sir, I trust this finds you folks well.

It's tough to get hard information as to how much of the town has been burned, but certainly some subdivisions have reported 80% of the structures are now gone.

The entire town has been evacuated as of last night, so something over 53,000 folks have been uprooted.

It's been unseasonably hot and windy there - which of course is the perfect storm for a fire.

Anyway so far no one has been killed as far as I can ascertain so that's good.

My thoughts and prayers are with the folks who've been affected.

All the best to you folks this spring Scott.

Dwayne

Scott, there is one member there, I cannot remember his handle but he offered us hospitality when we make our annual trip up there.
Been monitoring the news, and though there are no fatalities, it looks real bad. Ft. McMurray is remote enough that there is no way possible to get enough fire fighters up there in time....
Am worried about my Canadian friends....

You don't fight a fire like that one--you just get outta the way. Hope everyone makes it as it looks bad.
Snowing here today in NWO but it's been real dry.

Was not aware of this.

Prayers for all involved.

Internet search showed this to be a massive fire.

Thankfully no lives lost at this time.

Was trying to find out how it started...? Didn't see anything in the news reports. 60,000 evacuated, is a lot.

Catnthehat is from there. Haven't been on the forum for quite a while. Was just checking here to see if there was any word of him. Hopefully him and his family and all others there are safe.

[quote=colt357]Catnthehat is from there. Haven't been on the forum for quite a while. Was just checking here to see if there was any word of him. Hopefully him and his family and all others there are safe. [/quote

He moved a few years ago and now lives in Devon IIRC. Cheers NC]

Damn, awful early for fires.

My news cast just said over 80,000 had to leave , and didnt have time to grab anything! so far No Deaths!

Prayers on the way for everyone caught in the path of this monster.

Catnthehat still lives in Ft.Mac, he has not moved. He is a moderator on the Alberta Outdoorsman forum and is on there off and on today. He and his family are safe and temporarily residing at his cottage near Athabaska until such time as it is safe to return to his home. I hope it is still standing.

Good to know. Thanks for filling us in.

88,000 people displaced and 1600 structures gone--no casualties reported as of yet. Unfrickenbelievabile

Thats a lot of houses. I think its about the same number we lost in our area of TX in 2011.

I pray for everyone!

I reminds me of the Middletown fire last year, of course Middletown is MUCH smaller.

Anyone familiar with the area will recognize this map as a very bad thing. The industrial area, some swanky motels, city parks, and the airport have all been engulfed now....

Fire crew left here for Fort Mc yesterday & another team scheduled to leave tomorrow !

Thoughts & prayers for the residents & for the emergency response teams.

This has become a Canada wide effort. Dry year last year very dry winter this year, could be more serious fires in Alberta once this one is done. Hopefully no other serious fire starts whilst this one still burns. Comments from one university prof is that the location of starting point of the fire and the lack of lightning indicates man made as the source.

A buddies daughter works at a vet clinic in Fort Mac and has stayed behind to try and deal with some of the many pets let behind. The word is a lot of dogs running around.

Hard times for a lot of

Going to take a LOT of long work to try to get that contained and stopped at that size.

That or the blessing of some heavy rain for starters.

Prayers is all we can do.

thoughts and prayers for all there.
we went through it last year and it was one of the most stressful summers of my life. God be with all the fire fighters.

I spent the last couple of days getting employees out of the area and settled in various evac centers. Thankfully they are all out and safe, along with their families. Three employees have lost their homes for sure. Uncertain if others have at this point. Seems as though our office in the area is also gone.

SS

A couple points about that fire we can all learn from.

We are hearing that the radiant heat from the super-hot fire is what is igniting the houses. The radiant heat from the advancing flame front is NOT what is igniting a lot of the houses on fire.

In some of the videos, if you watch closely, you will see foliage next to houses igniting first. The main foliage that is igniting is JUNIPER. The juniper then burns with extreme intensity that it ignites the home. Once the first home is fully engulfed, then adjacent homes do get going by radiant heat.

My advice- If you have JUNIPER in your yard… REMOVE IT.. Plant some sort of deciduous foliage (lilacs etc) that are a lot less flammable. FireSmart Guides to Landscaping are available. They describe different plants by name and ranking as far as if they are non-flammable all the way up to extremely flammable.

Follow the fireSmart link below and do the simple things that cost nothing but a bit of sweat equity. Clean your gutters, rake dead leaves away from your house, prune any conifer trees in your yards up to a height of 6 foot (that should be your lowest limb), make sure your woodpile is not against the house in the carport.

More great information can be found at: http://bcwildfire.ca/Prevention/firesmart.htm

If you take the proper steps to help FireSmart your own property, its not a guarantee, but does increase your chances of your home surviving a wildfire like this. There are MANY instances of single homes within a subdivision, where the home survived, yet the rest of the subdivision was destroyed.

While I am on a roll, I was asked yesterday by someone, “Why does Northern BC and Alberta burn in May?” Slave Lake (450 homes lost occurred within 2 weeks of the Fort Mac fire, but back in 2011). The answer is, “The Spring Dip”.. This is a phenomena that occurs each spring once the snow leaves, all the dry accumulations are still on the ground AND most foliage (trees and shrubs) are at their lowest foliar moisture content of the year (very little moisture in the needles and stems).

This is a heartbreaker.
So sorry for all caught up in this, and
.....words fail me.

Cool rain, clean moist air, and courage be yours

GTC

Best wishes to all in that area

Just checked the map...the fire is getting awfully close to my fishing hole!

Things look bad for the folks of Ft. McMurray

I contacted Cat last night, he said he's fine but doesn't know if his home is still standing.
That's all I got - over&out.

Prayers for all those affected by this tragedy.I was near a fire similar to this in The UP years ago.It is hell on earth.

We are in for a tough weekend. The fire is expected to double to over 50000 acres.
Praying for all the first responders.

Flyer

It has reached 100,000 hectares...roughly 300,000 acres...and expected to double on top of THAT....

More prayers on the way for the folks caught in the maw of this monster.

Is it burning a lot of trees, with crown fires, or is it mainly a prairie fire?

Based on the news photos it was primarily a tree fire until it started burning buildings. I believe the present count is 1600 dwellings burned up.

Jim

That area is Boreal forest and muskeg. There is potential even for it to burn underground for many years if it gets into peat moss. There are areas, mainly north of there, which are open as well due to reclamation activities.

We are already getting smoke in the Medicine Hat area where I live as the wind has changed. We are maybe 18 hours south of the fire.

Bad scene, prayers every day for all affected. If you get the chance to donate something, please do.

Howdy fom south of the firestorm !
This devil is s CAT6 fire and will more than likely be upgraded in time!🙀
This fire jumped the Athsbasca River at a point where it is close to 600 yards wide !
No words can describe what I went through getting my family out and I was not in too bad a shape compared to some .
As far as I can tell, from Google earth my house is still intact as is my son's and s friend's place who we originally thought had lost it.
Many have lost everything and have small kids etc.

However , to put things in place you must realize this about the people who live up here . We are a high majority of outdoorsman , tough as nails and very resourceful . To boot , a very high number of city residents are trained in first aid and industrial safety procedures .l and know how to deal with emergencies
Despite only one road north and one road out of the city until about 30 miles out, 88,000 people evacuated , an entire hospital was evacuated in two hours,a seniors home evacuated in one shot with two motor coaches ,5 construction camps opened up to house the evacuees,with two babies born in the process and NO LOSS of life !!

On Thursdsy night the wind changed and drove thr true south into the town of Anzac and forced the of the emergency shelters , Anzac, and the Fort McMurray first nations to the village of Conklin another 60 or so miles south .
However it has now shifted to the North east into the boreal forest area that is uninhabited , it is over 90,000 hectares now .
There were several fatalities yesterday down by Lac La Biche when a tanker hit an SUV setting off another fire .

This whole scenario is hopped off by many stories of people loading up their trucks and trailers with supplies and fuel and rolling north to help thise stranded on the road - simply unbelievable !!
BTW we have lost over 1,600 homes so far
Cat

Cat, I have missed your posts, but with the news of the fire I have been thinking of you and wondering how you were doing even more.

I have good memories of Fort McMurray and the people there. Many years ago, my truck broke down a few miles from town, and I do not think a single vehicle passed me without stopping to try to help.

Cat, please keep us updated with some more posts if you can.

John

I'd say this expresses the attitude of Albertans and Canucks perfectly,;

http://www.cbc.ca/news/thenational/rex-murphy-fort-mcmurray-wildfire-1.3569425

They are now reporting 156,000 hectares.

Good morning :
Just got word that Syncrude has been ordered to shut down, and all personal are being evacuated along with their camp.
I am trying to find out if it is a general order or if it is s Syncrude corporate decision .
The fire is expected to double in size by this weekend
Cat

Cat: thanks for posting and keeping us up to date. We are watching this one closely with heavy hearts at Casa Ingwe.

cat;
Thanks for the update sir and it's good to read that thus far you're place is okay.

We've gone through a fire evacuation too as mentioned so our thoughts and prayers are for sure and certain with all involved.

Thanks again sir and God bless.

Dwayne

I can't even begin to fathom the size of this fire.

2000 square kliks now...

There are fires burning in NEBC, about the same size as the Fort M. blaze and one has crossed the border into Alberta. This is being actioned by the BCFS, to assist the AFS, who are concentrating on Fort M.

I worked in fire management for both of these agencies and during 21 years of such work, witnessed what the source of the problem is, but, this is not the place to discuss it now

The ONLY way that these monster fires can/will be contained and eventually extinguished is by lots of hard rain. I have seen springs like this before and then very wet late Junes, that soaked the fuel so the fires went out. Hinton, AB. was one example.

RickF's advice is excellent and if I were to build in rural BC or AB, I would use all stone/metal/stuco exteriors and metal roofs. Here, in the Fraser Valley, we are removing all shrubs from our large yard and I am putting river rock berms around the foundation. One cannot be too careful.

World news stated last night that part of the problem is that the sap is still down in most those trees. God bless those people and their families. Really sad to see..

Conversion says 772 square miles... hard to fathom.

Cat
I thought you had moved to Devon, I guess getting old and forgetful.
Hope you stay safe. Cheers NC

Nope, that was Martinbns and I think he has since moved again wuth the bank- he's kind of a big deal with them 😊
Seriously though , all the plants up there are shutting down because of the smoke as much as the fire itself .
That demon is not going to be beat until we get a huge rain as was already said ,
Cat

I was reading that if the fire gets into the peat of the northern boreal forests, it could burn underground for months and months.

I wish you all the best up there, this is unimaginable.

Nothing substantial in the way of precip either. Prayers sent.

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/ca/14-day-weather-trend/alberta/wood-buffalo

Isn't it time for one of the 'Fire idiots the chime in and say 'Why do people live in places that this can happen, I have no sympathy for them'



That thing is a BEAST.

Been watching the fires movement on NASA site, its gone about 30 miles east, and only about 4 more to go to hit my fave fishing spot
Been going there for 20 years, the lodge owners have become good friends in that time and I wish I was a praying man, cause I'd send some now....

More prayers on the way for everyone caught in the path of this monstrosity.

at what point does a fire this size create its own weather?

It already has. No rain in the forecast, nothing but wind though the temperature has dropped.

Nut cases on CNN and other left wing news sources are already blaming this on Global Warming .

It is part of global warming and nothing to do with CNN.

You're right- a fire this size is contributing to the warming of the globe.

I wish they'd outlaw forest fires.

I try to advise Algwhore but he evidently has his email set so my ideas end up in his spam box, otherwise I'd sic him on it.

Algwhore! i love it, positively love it.
on that note i pray daily for the relief of these poor folks. went through it last year here and it was hell.

Yup!

My heart aches for all those who lost everything. Those special family photos, wedding rings, pets, and dream homes or old homes full of memories can't be replaced.

I've adjusted claims after several devastating fires, and it's sad to see streets of nothing but ashes and foundations. My last was the Waterfall Fire at South Lake Tahoe. I'm glad to be out of the business now.

My thoughts are with you in northern Alberta.

Thank You to all that truly understand the situation we are facing in north western Canada this spring . The combination of less then normal snow fall and later then normal spring precipitation has left the west extremely dry.

Unfortunately its not over for many other northern community's.

We had fires in the river valley in Edmonton today .

F

I've read that is might be making it into Saskatchewan soon.


I looked at the 10 day forecast, NO rain, low humidity. I'm guessing this thing will be going on for quite awhile

Typically things like this take a LONG time, IE 6 months/ a year or even years for the overall threat to go away.

Its just a cycle of nature, doing what it does that allows things like this to cycle.

Our prayers to all out there involved and especially those that have lost any or all. Its tough.

Going to be a LONG summer unless the weather pattern changes.

Looks like cooler temps for a few days, which should help. Of course I saw the temps in Celsius, so it could be near freezing or boiling for all I know.

It looks like it has slowed up a tad....or it could be wishful thinking...

IF you could get a HARD wind reversal for a week or so it MIGHT mostly burn back into itself and burn out that way...

It would take a lot of rain at this point to get any to the ground and do any kind of good.

10 C = 50 F

Overnight temps are right around the freezing mark.

The lower temperatures and showers will help.

Today Cloudy. 40 percent chance of showers this morning. Widespread smoke. Wind northwest 20 km/h gusting to 40. High 10. UV index 3 or moderate.
Tonight Cloudy. Becoming partly cloudy overnight. Widespread smoke. Wind northwest 20 km/h gusting to 40 becoming light this evening. Low plus 2.

Tue, 10 May A mix of sun and cloud. Widespread smoke. High 11.
Night Cloudy. Low plus 1.

Wed, 11 May Cloudy with 30 percent chance of showers. High 9.
Night Clearing. Low minus 1.

Thu, 12 May Sunny. High 11.
Night Clear. Low minus 1.
Fri, 13 May Sunny. High 14.
Night Clear. Low minus 1.

This news is a few days old now: James Taylor donating proceeds of Alberta concerts to Ft. McMurray victims

.

Theyve all seen fire... let's see some rain!

FWIW, martinbns is in Manitoba now. I see him over on Walleye Central from time to time.

SS

So, as of today I am set up in our Edmonyon office , helping our scaffold contractors get our members back up to the oil sands sites in the Ft McMurray area .😀
They are starting to fly crews in tomorrow to help get the sites back up and running , and to get the turnaround projects finished up .
2,400 hundred structures burned down or severely damaged , which is about 20% of the town IIRC

Gas lines will have to be isolated , the power grid is down in several areas , and the water mains will have to be flushed before they allow us to get back into town .

All work crews for the time being will be housed in the camps and my union has given a directive for local residents to go back to work first even though they will be in camp .
The fire headed over towards Sashstchewan and north , but fir a while went south ,
On a happier note , my house and several if my friends' houses naff out okay and I have pics of our gun club that had been burned sll around it but miraculously all the structures atd intact!
Many if my friends however list everything .
The fire itself was only the start , it will take s long time to get back to what Ft McMurray considers " normal"
We are a proud and very tough bunch however and we will rebuild this town and get back at 'er ASAP!😎

Hats off with greatest respect and gratitude to all of the wild fire specialists, structural fire specialists, LEO's , EMT's and every other person that stepped up to help from our U.S. Neughbours that were brought up to our Armed Forces members to the farmers and residents who chipped in, help with lodging , bought gas and water , etc!!👍👍
Cat

Good to hear Cat, glad you made out ok.

Never had a shadow of doubt, about that, Mister.

Albertans (indeed,Canadians), at work, are a serious force to be reckoned with.

We're all pulling for ya', on this side of the Medicine Line !

Greg

Any updates on the conditions and folks around Fort McMurray?

SamSteele
Thanks for the up date that goes for the Cat as well. Cheers NC

They are evac'ing more work camps as of last night. It doesn't appear to be threatening the city again, but smoke and proximity to the Syncrude and Suncor mines has caused them to pull out. My staff were redeployed last week and are still at their locations, but smoke is a big issue for them.


SS

Well Blacksands camp is gone , as well , Suncor has shut down,
The workers were moved last evening from Noralta , millinium and Borealis camps up to fire bag and Wopassoo camps , but they evacuated them this afternoon as well .
First Hills is suspending construction.
The fire has turned back and is threatening a few subdivisions in town , mine being one.

Several houses have exploded after the gas was turned back on .
We are not out of it yet, Boys! :>(
Cat

Hang in there Cat.

More prayers on the way for all caught in the fire zones.

I just checked the NASA site...fire is treacherously close to my fishing camp. The owners are great friends and I fear for their camp....

Damn.

A couple on another forum posted that they just got back from Winnifred and had sone great fishing.
Hopefully It will remain untouched!
I am anxious to get back up north on June 2nd, making plans for a slip tank and trailer as the closest fuel is 120 miles south ,
Taking groceries and fridges with us as well .
Cat

Just checked the NASA site again and it looks like the fire now east of Ft. McMurray is starting to fizzle out...the rains must have helped enormously...

My brother has been working out of a camp for Finning for the past 10 days helping out while his fiancée has worked out of the office in Edmonton. They are hoping to be allowed back into town this weekend to see what they can do to help friends who have lost everything. Their first priorities will be checking on my brothers truck too see if it survived, it was parked at the airport, and cleaning out the fridge

As Aussie's we know how terrible a bad fire can be and good luck to all as they try and get the town back on its feet.

I guess officially today the evacuees are allowed to start trickling back. Satellite imagery makes it look like my fishing hole and lodge were spared, and I called my fave motel in Ft. McMurray yesterday and somebody answered the phone!

What do you fish for there?

Northern Pike. LOTS of them.

I've been wondering about the fire off and on, but mostly busy with flooding/water rescued related stuff here and simply had not googled info.

Glad to hear it may be showing signs of going out finally.

BEEEEG slimy bastids too!

Ingwe, post some some pictures of your previous trips (hopefully of Ingwewife and and not you in your leopard skin thong...

John

As requested...

Ingwe,

Thanks from Sweden -- both for the nice photos, and for sparing us seeing pictures of you in your thong...

John

I thought you was a dude