‘In no way is this fire under control’: Canada wildfire doubles in size in one day, could burn for months
A raging Canadian wildfire grew explosively as hot, dry winds pushed the blaze across the energy heartland of Alberta and threatened to burn close to an oil sands project
The images are ones of devastation — scorched homes, virtually whole neighbourhoods burned to the ground. And Canadian officials say they expect to fight the massive wildfire that has destroyed large parts of Alberta’s oil sands town for months.
There’s an expectation the growing wildfire could double in size and reach a major oil sands mine and even the neighbouring province of Saskatchewan, in what is expected to be the costliest natural disaster in Canada’s history.
The Alberta government said the massive blaze in the province, which on Friday had already covered an area almost the size of Hong Kong, was expected to cover more than 200,000 hectares by Sunday because of high temperatures, dry conditions and high winds.
Chad Morrison of Alberta Wildfires said it’s not uncommon to fight such an inferno in forested areas for months.
“In no way is this fire under control,” Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said.
