Canada Wildfire: Alberta Blaze Could Be A Threat To Major Oil Sands

A huge wildfire in the province of Alberta continues growing and it could spread into neighboring province, Saskatchewan according to Canadian officials.

Due to the current state of the fire, the Canadian officials expect that the massive wildfire will continue burning for months, as reported by Aljazeera. The wildfire has damaged the large parts of Alberta's oil sands. If the blaze can't be stopped, it may reach neighboring province of Saskatchewan.

The Alberta government said on May 7 that the huge blaze in the province will cover more than 2,000sq km by Sunday. If the blaze may continue growing because of high temperatures, dry conditions and high winds. There is a possibility that the massive fire could reach the edges of the Suncor oil sands facility.

BBC reports that the hot, dry and windy conditions are the hindrances why firefighters in Alberta find it difficult to handle the blaze. More than 700 sq miles (2,000 sq km) were covered by the huge fire, which includes areas that are still ablaze.

As the fire continues to grow, 80,000 people from Fort McMurray (the oil city), and thousands are still stuck in the north, were forced to evacuate. The evacuation was planned for May 7, Saturday but moved to May 8, Sunday because the fire is too diffucult to control. The Alberta Emergency Management Agency said on Saturday that the "fire conditions remain extreme,"

"In no way is this fire under control,'' said Alberta Premier Rachel Notley.

Fortunately, no reports of deaths or injuries have been tallied since the fire started a week ago. However, thousands of people lost their homes.

According to Notley, 12,000 evacuees have been airlifted from oil sands mine air fields over the past two days. Meanwhile, there are 7,000 have left in highway convoys escorted by police. Alberta premier said they want to complete the evacuation from northern work camps by Sunday.