Eighty-eight thousand people have been evacuated from Fort McMurray, Alberta as a raging wildfire fueled by dry conditions and low humidity bore down on it yesterday. When the total evacuation was ordered, more than 1,600 structures had already been destroyed – but there were no reports of deaths or injuries. While meteorologists are predicting a lessening of the “explosive” conditions of the past few days, there are fiercely gusting winds swirling around the area, making managing the fire even more difficult.
The only hospital in the city, Northern Lights Regional Health Centre, evacuated all 105 patients without incident. At this point, firefighters hope to get the raging wildfires under control in 48-72 hours – if the conditions improve. On Tuesday, temperatures in excess of 90 degrees made the situation even more volatile. According to meteorological forecasts, the temperatures are expected to drop into the sixties later today or by Friday.
