This is horrible. The fire is much worse than it was on yesterday's post..... You can see the horrible fire from space! My heart goes out to these people, some 90,000 have been evacuated.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-36215046

https://www.yahoo.com/gma/canada-wildfires-continue-state-emergency-declared-105653188--abc-news-topstories.html#



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/05/2016 07:53PM by verilyverily.

To put that into perspective, it's like evacuating all of Lethbridge and burning it to the ground.

In size it is now larger than the city of Calgary!

RB

A village SE of Fort McMurray airport, Anzac was used as a receiving centre for evacuees until Anzac itself was given an evacuation notice. We have a friend and his family who live there. Haven't heard yet if he's OK.

RB

Anyone up there crying "Last Days! Last Days! Repent!!!"

Funny you should ask:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/tom-moffatt-karmic-tweet-1.3567368

There were lots of people using the word "apocalypse" and his guy actually used the phrase "end of days" (albeit descriptively and not religiously)

http://globalnews.ca/video/2678585/the-end-of-dayspassenger-who-just-left-fort-mcmurray/

The drivers must be so frightened driving out with sparks falling all around them and a roaring fire at close range.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/05/2016 08:50PM by summer.

I know I'd be scared:
http://m.imgur.com/PveMprY

Kudos to every single human that gets out un-injured and alive from this tragedy.

I may get "flamed" over this...

But does anyone ever think of all the Wild-Life / domestic animals that are frightened, displaced and or burned-alive in an inferno such as this???

My heart goes out to every living thing affected by this situation...including the trees.

Or so it seems to me...

Unfortunately, lots of animals were trapped. The ones who made it to the main Edmonton shelter with their families will get assistance from the local Humane Society if needed.

The Expo at Northlands can only take 1400 people (and their pets) at a time, but lots of people have been going to hotels and motels after checking in.

Lethbridge - as least you are not close to Fort McMurray; a few hours away it looks like on the map.
Do you have people [family/friends] in the fire area?

"But does anyone ever think of all the Wild-Life / domestic animals that are frightened, displaced and or burned-alive in an inferno such as this???" - I certainly care about the animals and trees/plants etc. We are a carefully balanced system. Without trees, we have less oxygen. Without animals, we have no mental health [domestic animals anyway]. All living things have value and I fully agree with you.

This is just terrible. Did it start by natural means [like lightning] or is it arson?

Colorado Springs had a bad fire in 2012. We could smell the smoke 70 miles away from it. It was very bad but not as bad as this one in Alberta.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldo_Canyon_fire



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/06/2016 01:54AM by verilyverily.

It will certainly come in handy to jack up sagging oil prices worldwide.

CBC News is reporting that the RCMP are escorting a convoy of evacuating vehicles.

Some are being evac'd by plane.

My brother called from Alberta last night and just kept saying "it's brutal, it's completely brutal" (his word for apocalyptic events).

My sister's son was in one of the work camps given evac notice yesterday. We still haven't heard that he's out.

It's always a shock when something hits that close to home. But every day all over earth it's happening to somebody (not to discount the awesomeness of the current tragedy close to home for many of us). Sombre thoughts.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/fort-mcmurray-exodus-convoy-of-evacuees-get-1st-glimpse-of-fire-ravaged-city-1.3569517



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/06/2016 02:44PM by Nightingale.

Nightingale Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My brother called from Alberta last night and just
> kept saying "it's brutal, it's completely brutal"
> (his word for apocalyptic events).
>
> My sister's son was in one of the work camps given
> evac notice yesterday. We still haven't heard that
> he's out.

Good thoughts for all of your family members, Nightingale :) ...

...and for everyone who is caught up in this (very much including the animals).

Does anyone know what started this fire?

Which one?

If I am recalling this correctly, our news channel is running commentary that mentions "...over 40 separate fires..." of which only a few are 'out of control'.

Which left me curious about their definition of control and out of control.

The United Methodist Church is always on the scene at disasters. Call any local one and ask how you can help with donations.


http://www.umcor.org

This is tough. I know a lot of people who were mass evacuated when their city flooded. It's a life altering event. I suspect a fair number of the evacuees in Fort McMurray will never return. A fair number of people in Grand Forks, ND walked away after the flood of '97.

I was talking to some of those people this morning. Even the stories of this evacuation is dredging up painful memories. The smoke from the Alberta fires is expected to start blowing into northern Minnesota today (over 1,000 miles away), and two thirds of Minnesota is under a red flag fire warning today! This could be a really grim summer for forest fires.

My heart goes out to the evacuees. Nobody is prepared for this sort of life disruption.

A heads up for my fellow Albertans. The AMA tweeted that they are setting up donation boxes in all of their locations, for needed items: diapers, baby wipes, soap/shampoo, new socks and underwear, etc. If, like me, you don't live in a city with an evacuation centre, this is a good way to get a donation to where it's needed.

So sad. I have seen quite a few collections to the Red Cross for Fort McMurray. I am thinking other organizations will be doing so as well, such as Rotary and others. They have done so in the past.

A donation and karma are coming from your neighbors to the south. All our best!!!

A fire official said tonight said the fire could double again...to 1/2 a million acres.

RB

Terrible. But how were those people even still there?

Here in Australia bushfires are a part of life and you just know you have to be out of there 2 days before that

by the time that smoke and ashes come it's too late I don't know how any of those people lived through that

A bunch of people just got on the train at Northlands, but they didn't look traumatized. Maybe because they're a bunch of young guys and probably didn't lose much.

The Catholic Church is starting to help:

http://catholicnewsherald.com/42-news/rokstories/9670-alberta-bishop-grateful-for-no-deaths-as-city-evacuated-for-wildfires


"Bishop Terrio said that as the full extent of loss and damage becomes to be known, the whole community would be called upon to help rebuild and resettle the city. The diocese planned a second collection at all Masses May 7-8 as a first step for the relief effort and to support all those who lost their homes."