Ft McMurray Wildfire

[axisg]

Town has been evacuated. The only road south out of town has fire on both sides, the road north runs into the oil patch. Nothing east or west.

Wife just off the phone with her sister who has been in Ft Mac for a couple years now. She teaches kids with special needs at a daycare. They were trying to evacuate the few kids remaining from the daycare and the school across the street this afternoon and their short-bus wouldn't start. Luckily an evac bus came along and scooped the kids up. She said she when she left the day care in her car and the school across the street was in flames. She figures her apartment is just a couple blocks away and likely it is gone ! Luckily she and her hubby are now safe at his work camp just north of the city with nothing between them but the clothes on their back his worktruck and her car. I talked to her hubby for a bit ( Kerry has a good sense of humor ). Said he is mad because the beer he bought last night is too warm to drink sitting in the back of his work truck. LOL he is just glad they are both safe and intact.


Crazy stuffs. Is Guy in the patch now or safe in NS ??

 

[O. D. Showtime]

Yeah it sure don't look good....hope everyone can get out okay....

 

[Judge Mills]

That's terrible.... Stay safe!

 

[Rktpwrd]

I have friends and family both up there. My best friend works shifts at the Suncor camp just north of there. Haven't heard from him yet...

My kid sister lives up there with her boyfriend. He is a helicopter pilot, and has been flying shifts around the clock dumping water buckets to help battle the blaze.

As of 7:30 this morning, things were still ok, but this afternoon the winds shifted and pushed the fire into town. The major highway (63) to the south has been closed cutting people off from escape. The entire city (80 thousand + people) is under a mandatory evacuation order. Gridlock and chaos are everywhere.

Talked to my dad earlier this evening who has been in touch with my sis, and he said she's safe.
For now.
She's taken refuge at the hangar where the choppers are based from, and is spending the night there. All she has is what she could grab, and her dog. She can't even really go far as she's only got 3/4's a tank of gas in her little Mazda. There's no gas in Fort Mac, and even surrounding towns (up to 100 miles away) are almost out as well.

Things are real touch and go for everyone up there, things change by the minute.
My thoughts and prayers go out to them all.

 

[GuysMonteSS]

Town has been evacuated. The only road south out of town has fire on both sides, the road north runs into the oil patch. Nothing east or west.

Wife just off the phone with her sister who has been in Ft Mac for a couple years now. She teaches kids with special needs at a daycare. They were trying to evacuate the few kids remaining from the daycare and the school across the street this afternoon and their short-bus wouldn't start. Luckily an evac bus came along and scooped the kids up. She said she when she left the day care in her car and the school across the street was in flames. She figures her apartment is just a couple blocks away and likely it is gone ! Luckily she and her hubby are now safe at his work camp just north of the city with nothing between them but the clothes on their back his worktruck and her car. I talked to her hubby for a bit ( Kerry has a good sense of humor ). Said he is mad because the beer he bought last night is too warm to drink sitting in the back of his work truck. LOL he is just glad they are both safe and intact.


Crazy stuffs. Is Guy in the patch now or safe in NS ??

Guy is home in Nova Scotia,thanks for asking !!!

 

[pontiacgp]

That fire is devastating and it doesn't sound like it'll be put out for days. I have a couple of clients living at Fort Macmurray

Guy, aren't the oil sands a good distance north of Fort Macmurray?

 

[GuysMonteSS]

That fire is devastating and it doesn't sound like it'll be put out for days. I have a couple of clients living at Fort Macmurray

Guy, aren't the oil sands a good distance north of Fort Macmurray?

Steve,the oil sands start app a bit less than an hour north of Ft Mac and go from there.I have worked both north and south of Ft Mac and my heart goes out to all those being affected by the fire.
I can only imagine what Hwy 63 is like,on a good day it is known as one of the most dangerous roads in North America.
I bet it is chaos now...
Guy

 

[mr evil]

My lady is working a camp just south of there. They were on evac alert as of last night but she says I shouldn't worry. Seeing the news on this makes it difficult, just hoping everybody up there is somewhere safe.

 

[Longroof79]

Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the people in the Ft. McMurray area. Hope you all are able to evacuate safely.

 

[clean8485]

Sounds like things are pretty serious there. I hope that they can get the fires under control before it gets any worse.