Fort McMurray Fire: State of Emergency Declared in Alberta Province

Canadian government has declared state of emergency in the province of Alberta after a wildfire forced all 88,000 residents of Fort McMurray to flee.

According to officials, the fast-moving blaze could destroy much of the city.

The blaze, which broke out on May 1 in the heart on the country’s oil sands region, has gutted 1,600 buildings, including a new school.

The evacuation was largest-ever in Alberta. Oil companies operating in the area have been forced to cut output.

Several companies have shut down some pipelines. This was done to help evacuate non-essential personnel, reports say.

Photo CBC

So far there have been no reports of deaths or injuries in the wildfire, but two women gave birth in one evacuation centre, Reuters reported.

Bernie Schmitte, an official at Alberta’s agriculture ministry, said on May 4 that the “catastrophic fire” had so far “resisted all suppression methods”.

After flying over the burning city, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said the blaze had moved north and east across Fort McMurray.

First Nation communities 30 miles south of Fort McMurray were given mandatory evacuation orders on May 4.

Unseasonably high temperatures and strong winds have combined with dry conditions to leave much of Alberta and neighboring Saskatchewan under an extreme fire risk warning.

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau said he would send military aircraft to help if they were needed.