Fiery Apocalypse in Canada- City Consumed in Flames-Mass Evacuations-Dramatic Videocam Capture
Skywatch Media News
Published on May 6, 2016
Skywatch Media News
Published on May 6, 2016
Fires around the world
- Thread starter casper
- Start date
angelburst29
The Living Force
British Petroleum, one of the world’s leading oil and gas companies, will not be able to deliver on some contracts amid wildfires in Canada’s Alberta province, Upstream reports.
British Petroleum Oil Production in Canada Affected by Alberta Wildfire
http://sputniknews.com/business/20160507/1039226463/pb-production-canada-alberta-wildfire.html
"BP today was issued a Force Majeure by one of its suppliers and BP subsequently passed it on to its customers," the company confirmed with the newspaper on Friday.
According to Upstream, Syncrude Canada had completely shut down mining and extraction operations at its Aurora site amid the fires.
A wildfire near Fort McMurray, located in Canada's oil-rich western province of Alberta, was discovered late on Sunday and spread into the city on Tuesday as winds blew in the direction of populated areas.
On Tuesday, the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo said that the entire city of Fort McMurray with a total population of over 60,000 had been evacuated after wildfires were fanned into populated areas by unpredictable winds.
On Wednesday, Alberta declared a state of emergency as the number of evacuees surpassed 80,000. At least 1,600 buildings have been hit by the fire.
Oil prices jumped 2 percent on Thursday as the Alberta wildfire cut production from Canada’s oil sands region. The oil fields are located about 30-100 kilometers (18-60 miles) north of Fort McMurray.
British Petroleum Oil Production in Canada Affected by Alberta Wildfire
http://sputniknews.com/business/20160507/1039226463/pb-production-canada-alberta-wildfire.html
"BP today was issued a Force Majeure by one of its suppliers and BP subsequently passed it on to its customers," the company confirmed with the newspaper on Friday.
According to Upstream, Syncrude Canada had completely shut down mining and extraction operations at its Aurora site amid the fires.
A wildfire near Fort McMurray, located in Canada's oil-rich western province of Alberta, was discovered late on Sunday and spread into the city on Tuesday as winds blew in the direction of populated areas.
On Tuesday, the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo said that the entire city of Fort McMurray with a total population of over 60,000 had been evacuated after wildfires were fanned into populated areas by unpredictable winds.
On Wednesday, Alberta declared a state of emergency as the number of evacuees surpassed 80,000. At least 1,600 buildings have been hit by the fire.
Oil prices jumped 2 percent on Thursday as the Alberta wildfire cut production from Canada’s oil sands region. The oil fields are located about 30-100 kilometers (18-60 miles) north of Fort McMurray.
Kisito
Jedi Council Member
Here is an article in Paris Match that of May 21, 2015:angelburst29 said:
http://www.parismatch.com/Actu/Environnement/Fort-McMurray-ville-symbole-d-un-desastre-ecologique-767456
Fort McMurray city symbol of ecological disaster
Paris Match | Published on 05/21/2015 at 8:13 p.m.
Charlotte Anfray
A post-apocalyptic landscape ravaged by exploitation of oil sands ... a post-apocalyptic landscape ravaged by exploitation of oil sands ...
DR
"Gross, the rush black gold", co-written by David Dufresne, director of the documentary "Fort McMoney Vote Jim Rodgers" (see trailer at end of article) paints an alarming finding of Fort McMurray, a city "mushroom" from 10 000 to 100 000 in recent years thanks to the oil sands. An economic miracle that hides a social and ecological nightmare ... Meet David Dufresne, co-author of this edifying book ... and terrifying.
In Athabasca, North Eastern Canada based large deposits of bitumen and heavy oil. 21% of this province, 142 200 km2 are covered by these sands. The three largest deposits of this region contain more than 1 800 billion barrels of bitumen (290 billion m3). The major oil companies have invested the scene for 20 years and are sowing the law of profit. Often in defiance of all other social considerations. Even less environmentally friendly. The city of Fort McMurray is the most telling example. Social misery rubs trademarks of wealth ultimately very provisional.
"Fort McMurray is an enlarged version of our culture," Naomi Klein, co-author of this book
Could you give us an inventory of oil sands around the city of Fort McMurray?
David Dufresne: The operation began in the 80s and exploded between the 90s and 2000. Before it was too expensive because the price of barrels of oil was not high enough.
vsdfqefqedsvurl David Dufresne
© DR
Once it has reached 100 euros, the operation has become intensive. Today it is the largest project of humanity. The exploitable area covers ¼ of France. Per day, over a million and a half barrels of oil are extracted from the ground in Alberta. At the peak of its operations and demand, between 5 and 6 million barrels could be extracted each day. But at what cost! The process is extremely polluting. Thousands of trees are shaved and for in situ extraction, hot steam sent to earth to thin the oil sands, pours into the soil terribly harmful chemicals.
According to Greenpeace, the oil sands could eliminate 166 million birds in 50 years. What environmental damage have you seen?
Groundwater, rivers, ponds, everything is polluted! The flora and fauna are not spared. Birds, but fish die within the scope of this environmental tragedy. In my book, I talk about a fish with three eyes, found by a fisherman. Thousands of giant trucks, measuring over two floors, reject a lot of CO2. Unfortunately, no figures are available. The estimates are used by the major oil companies themselves. The state looks only if the figures given by these industries were measured by criteria. Independent organizations can not do their own measures because they do not have enough money. And when an organization tries to learn more, the state cut his funding.
"A doctor, John O'Connor, was fired because he was looking for the origins of these mysterious cancers"
What are the consequences on the health of residents?
Extremely rare forms of cancer were diagnosed on the inhabitants of Fort McMurray. But again, no figures are available. No study has been done by the authorities. When indigenous people call themselves sick, the State asks whether their lifestyle has not changed, but not looking the side of the oil industry. Independent associations can not investigate. There is a glaring problem of health and we can not even seek the truth nor measure the extent of the problem. For proof, a doctor, John O'Connor, was fired because he was looking for the origins of these mysterious cancers.
Fort McMurray "Welcome to Fort McMurray" proclaims rather dapper sign that advertises David Dufresne as "the end of civilization."
© DR
Democracy seems to be a distant memory in Fort McMurray. The city displays the election turnout the lowest in Canada. The Mayor Melissa Blake, was elected with only 6987 of assaulting a city which nevertheless has more than 100 000 inhabitants. Why such a lack of interest of the people?
For me, Fort McMurray, it's the end of civilization. For this population of casual workers which represents about 50 000 people, all about money and greed. They come three weeks leave 15 days and then come back for a new contract. It's a very male world, brutal. But everything is controlled by the oil industry. They dump more than 95% of the city budget, or $ 1 billion a year. As long as they give money, they have power. They buy all the city through sports halls, swimming pools, sports complexes. There are pool Total, Shell gym .... This announces the world in which we will return: a world brand.
11057368_878991392164334_4279035502374844786_n
The price of oil, fell by half, from 100 to 50 dollars. Oil industries idle. How do you see the future of Fort McMurray?
This oil, at present, is no longer profitable. His falling prices and declining investment in the sector will lead dismissal 185,000 in Canada. Within months, two very large oil groups of projects have been stopped. 20,000 people have already been dismissed. It's a vicious circle. The closure of "labor camps" will lead to the decline in attendance for hotels, restaurants and shops. The Food Bank of the city has seen the number of beneficiaries increase of 74%. Fort McMurray will be become a ghost town. And in terms of the environment, Ottawa has promised a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 but no specific plans about the oil sands has been announced yet. I ask to see.
David Dufresne, Nancy Houston, Naomi Klein, Melina Laboucan-Massimo, Rudy Wiebe, "Gross, the rush black gold" Lux editor, collection "Free Letters" 112p. 12 euros
angelburst29
The Living Force
angelburst29 said:
Kisito, the nuclear waste stored in drums at Fort McMurray is a concern, if the fire advances into that area.
Wildfires have been popping up everywhere and how this one got started is still unknown? There have been fires in this area before, so it's not an isolated incident, as Oxajil has reported.
I don't know if this has anything to do with this fire but for the last 6 years, Canada wanted to bring it's Keystone XL pipeline into the U,S. - to ease the US's reliance on OPEC oil, mainly from Venezuela. Canada, being a neighbor, would reduce costs for the US and provide jobs. Three weeks after Justin Trudeau was elected Prime Minister, Obama signed a final decision in rejection. With BP completely shutting down it's mining and extraction operations due to the fire, supply isn't going to Asia.
Canada pulls the plug on the U.S. Keystone Pipeline – will send oil to Asia
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/06/28/canada-pulls-the-plug-on-the-u-s-keystone-pipeline-will-send-oil-to-asia/
Back dated June 28, 2014 - Obama’s inability to make a decision on Keystone has finally yielded a result – Canada has made the decision for him.
Breitbart reports Canada has just approved the Enbridge Northern Gateway Project – a major pipeline to ship Canadian oil to Asia.
All the jobs and energy security which Canadian oil could have delivered to America, will instead be delivered to Asia.
Rather than purchasing crude from a friendly and allied neighbor, the United States will most likely need to continue its reliance upon hostile sources like Venezuela. Energy analysts had hoped that construction of Keystone could have replaced almost half of the current U.S. daily crude purchases from that volatile, anti-American dictatorship, depriving Venezuela of the resources it relies upon to stay in power and fund its Cuban allies.
You can’t say Canada didn’t give America a chance – they waited years for the American administration to come to their senses. But in the end, they couldn’t wait any longer, and have put the interests of Canadians first.
Obama administration rejects Keystone pipeline
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2015/11/06/obama-reject-keystone-pipeline/75293270/
Back dated November 6, 2015 - President Obama announced Friday that his administration has rejected the Keystone XL Pipeline project after more than six years of review.
"The State Department has decided that the Keystone XL pipeline would not serve the national interest of the United States," Obama said in a 10-minute announcement at the White House with Secretary of State John Kerry and Vice President Biden. "I agree with that decision."
The final determination on Keystone comes 2,604 days after Transcanada first applied for State Department approval to build the 1,179-mile cross-border pipeline from Alberta or Nebraska. Earlier this week, the State Department rejected the company's request to delay a final determination.
Obama "slaps back at Trudeau," rejects Keystone Pipeline
http://www.therebel.media/obama_trudeau_rejects_keystone_pipeline
Today Barack Obama rejected the Keystone XL pipeline, that would have imported about 800,000 barrels of Canadian oil instead of OPEC oil, mainly from Venezuela.
To say that global warming is the reason he cancelled this pipeline is false; the U.S. State department has meticulously reviewed the pipeline and say there will be no measurable environmental impact.
But Obama and the Democrats raise hundreds of millions of dollars from global warming donors like Tom Steyer of San Francisco, who pledged $100 million if Obama blocked Keystone.
Obama had this Keystone XL pipeline decision on his desk for six years, but he killed it less than three weeks after Justin Trudeau was elected prime minister.
Thinkingfingers said:
Considering this is probably one of the worst disasters in Canadian history, it's interesting to note that the media has been saying this is a man-made disaster and probably caused by people.
_http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/05/05/fort-mcmurray-fire-cause_n_9850128.html
However, back in March, this video was taken Weird trumpet sounds heard in Fort McMurray, Alberta and I find it a little more than coincidental that these sounds would be recorded in a place just two months before a blaze of this magnitude would happen, meanwhile media reports are quick to assume people are the cause of this.
angelburst29
The Living Force
Ottawa hasn't responded to the Kremlin's offer to help 'Canadian partners' battle Alberta blaze.
Russian offer to send water bombers to fight Fort McMurray fire in limbo
http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/politics/russia-water-bombers-alberta-wildfires-1.3572825
The Trudeau government has yet to respond to an offer by Russia to dispatch massive water bombers and fire fighting specialists to battle the growing inferno around Fort McMurray, Alta.
The proposal was made late last week by Vladimir Puchkov, the Russian minister of emergency measures.
A spokesman for Russia's embassy in Ottawa, Kirill Kalinin, said Sunday that they continue to stand "ready to help our Canadian partners to fight the ongoing wildfires in Alberta."
The offer involves sending converted Ilyushin Il-76 transport planes — the kind occasionally leased by the Canadian military — that can dump as much as "42 tons of fire retardant into fire spots," according to a statement on the web site of Russia's Civil Defence, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters.
In addition, Moscow said it has "rescuers and specialists with necessary equipment" ready to help on the ground, if need be.
Diplomatic chill There has been a diplomatic chill between Canada and Russia since Moscow's annexation of Crimea in the spring of 2014, but since the election the Liberal government has said it wanted a constructive relationship with President Vladimir Putin's government.
Speaking on CTV's Question Period on Sunday, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said the fire continues to grow. But he made no mention of the Russian overture — or any other potential pitch of international assistance.
"It's big. It's out of control and the end is not in sight," Goodale told the news program.
The Department of Global Affairs was asked about the Kremlin's offer and whether other countries had extended similar proposals, but no one was immediately available to comment.
Canadian officials did tell Russian media that the proposal was being studied.
At least 27 air tankers and 15 helicopters are involved in fighting the wildfire that has driven over 88,000 people from their homes in the oil patch community.
Goodale was also not prepared Sunday to call out the army to join the over 600 firefighters from Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba and New Brunswick who have been part of the effort to contain the blaze, the origins of which remain a mystery.
Troops were deployed last year to help contain a massive woodland blaze in Saskatchewan, but Goodale said Sunday it was best to leave the current disaster to full-time firefighters.
"This is a beast of a fire and it needs the most professional fighters to contend with it," he said.
The air force, meanwhile, deployed one of its new heavy-lift battlefield helicopters Sunday for the first time in support of the disaster relief operation. The CH-147F Chinook took two loads of food, medicine and emergency supplies to a First Nations community 50 kilometres outside of Fort McMurray.
It bolsters the existing four CH-146 Griffons and the one C-130J Hercules, which have been involved since midway through last week.
The Chinook, with its 36,700 kilogram load capacity, is an important addition for moving relief supplies quickly into remote area, said Maj. Gord Gushue, the deputy commander of the air task force supporting the operation.
He said the skies around the wildfire are already pretty congested and military pilots have had to take care.
"You can appreciate that the [civilian pilots] might be running a bucket ops where they scoop up water and move it around, going up and down quite a ways. So, they have to be very careful to make sure no one is flying underneath them — or overhead," Gushue said in an interview from Edmonton.
The pilots have faced some pretty severe smoke conditions that in one case saw a Griffon helicopter take off from Fort McMurray and fly out using instruments because the conditions were so bad.
Fort McMurray wildfire could burn for months
http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/edmonton/fort-mcmurray-wildfire-sunday-1.3572369
Fire officials say the Fort McMurray wildfire is still spreading and is so massive that only a significant amount of rain can bring it under control.
Wind gusts of 40 to 70 km/h were expected in the region Sunday, and possibly light rain, as part of a cold front that's moving into northern Alberta.
The winds will help fuel the flames and what little moisture there is should not bring much relief to those battling the fire.
"It certainly will increase in size today, and it's still listed as out of control and the conditions are still very dry. We do have some difficult weather, some interesting weather, coming up," said Matthew Anderson, wildfire information officer with Alberta Agriculture, speaking from Edmonton on Sunday.
"There's another cold front coming through and ahead of that front it's going to be very gusty, so this morning that could cause some significant growth as the winds shift and move through," he told CBC News.
"However, behind it, it's bringing cooler temperatures, at least by 10 degrees, perhaps dropping, and the humidity is increasing as well."
Anderson it's not uncommon for a fire of this size to burn for months.
"There are a lot of hotspots and the entire area that is affected, the size is double the size of Calgary, will have to be checked by crews ... so it's going to be quite a long process and a lot of gruelling work," he said.
"We would need a significant amount of precipitation to really help to bring things under control a bit more," Anderson said, adding what little rain is expected may reach the fire zone or just fall farther north.
The province's meteorology branch predicts a chance of a small amount of snow on Tuesday or Wednesday because of the approaching cold air mass.
The wildfire, which began May 1 and engulfed neighbourhoods in and around Fort McMurray, has forced more than 80,000 people to evacuate their homes. The blaze now covers more than 2,000 square kilometres. Flames have destroyed about 1,600 structures, feeding off extremely dry boreal forest.
Almost 10,000 thousand people displaced by the fire have gone to Edmonton. Many are with family or friends. As of Saturday, close to 2,000 evacuees were staying at the Northlands Expo Centre. On Sunday, Rob Brekke, the emergency coordinator for the city, said that number dropped to 600 as people found other accommodations.
On Saturday, a convoy of evacuees once again made its way from the north side of the fire to the south — more than 14,000 people have made it out in the past two days, while many others were flown to safety.
The temperature hovered around 30 C on Saturday as the RCMP escorted about 2,400 vehicles to safety south of the fire-ravaged city.
Government officials confirm that the majority of evacuees made it through, but RCMP will continue to escort vehicles as needed.
Another work camp evacuated On Saturday night, the massive wildfire nicknamed "the beast" forced yet another evacuation, this time at Fort McMurray Village, a work camp north of Fort McMurray housing first responders.
Non-essential staff were being sent south of Fort McMurray to safe sites on buses. Some workers were to be sent to Grey Wolf, another camp north of Fort McMurray.
Both Suncor and Syncrude, with work sites north of the city, have evacuated their facilities as a precautionary measure.
The fire should pose no danger to Suncor's oilsands facilities, 30 kilometres from Fort McMurray, according to Chad Morrison, the province's senior wildfire official.
"Those sites are very resilient to forest fires, largely because the sites are cleared and free of vegetation," he said.
Police finding holdouts Inside the mostly quiet and all-but abandoned city of Fort McMurray, police have been going house to house, looking for people who may have been unable or unwilling to leave.
In a news conference Saturday, Premier Rachel Notley urged the last few holdouts still lurking in the city to leave at once.
"Please listen carefully to this," she said. "If you aren't a police officer, a firefighter or otherwise have a first-responder role in the emergency, you should not be in Fort McMurray."
The premier also said 32,000 households had registered with the Red Cross by Saturday afternoon. The Red Cross has collected more than $44 million in donations, so far, to help fire victims.
There is still no timeline for residents to be allowed back into their homes, but the Alberta government has begun preliminary planning, though it stresses fighting the fire is still the first priority.
Notley said the gas supply has been turned off in the city and the power grid has been damaged. Water in the city isn't drinkable and hazardous material will have to be cleaned up to make the community safe.
More than 500 firefighters are now battling the blaze on many fronts in and around Fort McMurray, along with 15 helicopters, 16 air tankers and 88 other pieces of equipment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBe3_iZ3HHk
BPEarthWatch - 10 minute video.
Note: He makes a compelling case that the Fort McMurray fire is being allowed to run wild (supported by Canada's ignoring of Russia's offer to send water bombers) in order to destroy the town and allow the land, which sits over major uranium deposits, to be purchased for pennies on the dollar.
Russian offer to send water bombers to fight Fort McMurray fire in limbo
http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/politics/russia-water-bombers-alberta-wildfires-1.3572825
The Trudeau government has yet to respond to an offer by Russia to dispatch massive water bombers and fire fighting specialists to battle the growing inferno around Fort McMurray, Alta.
The proposal was made late last week by Vladimir Puchkov, the Russian minister of emergency measures.
A spokesman for Russia's embassy in Ottawa, Kirill Kalinin, said Sunday that they continue to stand "ready to help our Canadian partners to fight the ongoing wildfires in Alberta."
The offer involves sending converted Ilyushin Il-76 transport planes — the kind occasionally leased by the Canadian military — that can dump as much as "42 tons of fire retardant into fire spots," according to a statement on the web site of Russia's Civil Defence, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters.
In addition, Moscow said it has "rescuers and specialists with necessary equipment" ready to help on the ground, if need be.
Diplomatic chill There has been a diplomatic chill between Canada and Russia since Moscow's annexation of Crimea in the spring of 2014, but since the election the Liberal government has said it wanted a constructive relationship with President Vladimir Putin's government.
Speaking on CTV's Question Period on Sunday, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said the fire continues to grow. But he made no mention of the Russian overture — or any other potential pitch of international assistance.
"It's big. It's out of control and the end is not in sight," Goodale told the news program.
The Department of Global Affairs was asked about the Kremlin's offer and whether other countries had extended similar proposals, but no one was immediately available to comment.
Canadian officials did tell Russian media that the proposal was being studied.
At least 27 air tankers and 15 helicopters are involved in fighting the wildfire that has driven over 88,000 people from their homes in the oil patch community.
Goodale was also not prepared Sunday to call out the army to join the over 600 firefighters from Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba and New Brunswick who have been part of the effort to contain the blaze, the origins of which remain a mystery.
Troops were deployed last year to help contain a massive woodland blaze in Saskatchewan, but Goodale said Sunday it was best to leave the current disaster to full-time firefighters.
"This is a beast of a fire and it needs the most professional fighters to contend with it," he said.
The air force, meanwhile, deployed one of its new heavy-lift battlefield helicopters Sunday for the first time in support of the disaster relief operation. The CH-147F Chinook took two loads of food, medicine and emergency supplies to a First Nations community 50 kilometres outside of Fort McMurray.
It bolsters the existing four CH-146 Griffons and the one C-130J Hercules, which have been involved since midway through last week.
The Chinook, with its 36,700 kilogram load capacity, is an important addition for moving relief supplies quickly into remote area, said Maj. Gord Gushue, the deputy commander of the air task force supporting the operation.
He said the skies around the wildfire are already pretty congested and military pilots have had to take care.
"You can appreciate that the [civilian pilots] might be running a bucket ops where they scoop up water and move it around, going up and down quite a ways. So, they have to be very careful to make sure no one is flying underneath them — or overhead," Gushue said in an interview from Edmonton.
The pilots have faced some pretty severe smoke conditions that in one case saw a Griffon helicopter take off from Fort McMurray and fly out using instruments because the conditions were so bad.
Fort McMurray wildfire could burn for months
http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/edmonton/fort-mcmurray-wildfire-sunday-1.3572369
Fire officials say the Fort McMurray wildfire is still spreading and is so massive that only a significant amount of rain can bring it under control.
Wind gusts of 40 to 70 km/h were expected in the region Sunday, and possibly light rain, as part of a cold front that's moving into northern Alberta.
The winds will help fuel the flames and what little moisture there is should not bring much relief to those battling the fire.
"It certainly will increase in size today, and it's still listed as out of control and the conditions are still very dry. We do have some difficult weather, some interesting weather, coming up," said Matthew Anderson, wildfire information officer with Alberta Agriculture, speaking from Edmonton on Sunday.
"There's another cold front coming through and ahead of that front it's going to be very gusty, so this morning that could cause some significant growth as the winds shift and move through," he told CBC News.
"However, behind it, it's bringing cooler temperatures, at least by 10 degrees, perhaps dropping, and the humidity is increasing as well."
Anderson it's not uncommon for a fire of this size to burn for months.
"There are a lot of hotspots and the entire area that is affected, the size is double the size of Calgary, will have to be checked by crews ... so it's going to be quite a long process and a lot of gruelling work," he said.
"We would need a significant amount of precipitation to really help to bring things under control a bit more," Anderson said, adding what little rain is expected may reach the fire zone or just fall farther north.
The province's meteorology branch predicts a chance of a small amount of snow on Tuesday or Wednesday because of the approaching cold air mass.
The wildfire, which began May 1 and engulfed neighbourhoods in and around Fort McMurray, has forced more than 80,000 people to evacuate their homes. The blaze now covers more than 2,000 square kilometres. Flames have destroyed about 1,600 structures, feeding off extremely dry boreal forest.
Almost 10,000 thousand people displaced by the fire have gone to Edmonton. Many are with family or friends. As of Saturday, close to 2,000 evacuees were staying at the Northlands Expo Centre. On Sunday, Rob Brekke, the emergency coordinator for the city, said that number dropped to 600 as people found other accommodations.
On Saturday, a convoy of evacuees once again made its way from the north side of the fire to the south — more than 14,000 people have made it out in the past two days, while many others were flown to safety.
The temperature hovered around 30 C on Saturday as the RCMP escorted about 2,400 vehicles to safety south of the fire-ravaged city.
Government officials confirm that the majority of evacuees made it through, but RCMP will continue to escort vehicles as needed.
Another work camp evacuated On Saturday night, the massive wildfire nicknamed "the beast" forced yet another evacuation, this time at Fort McMurray Village, a work camp north of Fort McMurray housing first responders.
Non-essential staff were being sent south of Fort McMurray to safe sites on buses. Some workers were to be sent to Grey Wolf, another camp north of Fort McMurray.
Both Suncor and Syncrude, with work sites north of the city, have evacuated their facilities as a precautionary measure.
The fire should pose no danger to Suncor's oilsands facilities, 30 kilometres from Fort McMurray, according to Chad Morrison, the province's senior wildfire official.
"Those sites are very resilient to forest fires, largely because the sites are cleared and free of vegetation," he said.
Police finding holdouts Inside the mostly quiet and all-but abandoned city of Fort McMurray, police have been going house to house, looking for people who may have been unable or unwilling to leave.
In a news conference Saturday, Premier Rachel Notley urged the last few holdouts still lurking in the city to leave at once.
"Please listen carefully to this," she said. "If you aren't a police officer, a firefighter or otherwise have a first-responder role in the emergency, you should not be in Fort McMurray."
The premier also said 32,000 households had registered with the Red Cross by Saturday afternoon. The Red Cross has collected more than $44 million in donations, so far, to help fire victims.
There is still no timeline for residents to be allowed back into their homes, but the Alberta government has begun preliminary planning, though it stresses fighting the fire is still the first priority.
Notley said the gas supply has been turned off in the city and the power grid has been damaged. Water in the city isn't drinkable and hazardous material will have to be cleaned up to make the community safe.
More than 500 firefighters are now battling the blaze on many fronts in and around Fort McMurray, along with 15 helicopters, 16 air tankers and 88 other pieces of equipment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBe3_iZ3HHk
BPEarthWatch - 10 minute video.
Note: He makes a compelling case that the Fort McMurray fire is being allowed to run wild (supported by Canada's ignoring of Russia's offer to send water bombers) in order to destroy the town and allow the land, which sits over major uranium deposits, to be purchased for pennies on the dollar.
How interesting is this fire to see what can be in the back of it.
Nobody talks about the Prime Nations that live there. The first and most important victims.
I found this video that ask: why they don't use "Cloud seeding technology" to stop the fire? He thinks that the mafia of the Global warming is behind all this. Interesting.
(sorry for sometimes the language, the guy use the F word.)
Nobody talks about the Prime Nations that live there. The first and most important victims.
I found this video that ask: why they don't use "Cloud seeding technology" to stop the fire? He thinks that the mafia of the Global warming is behind all this. Interesting.
(sorry for sometimes the language, the guy use the F word.)
angelburst29
The Living Force
See satellite images of Canada’s catastrophic wildfires
http://www.presstv.us/Detail/2016/05/11/464972/Canada-DigitalGlobe-wildfire-Alberta
New satellite images of Canada’s insane wildfires show the horrifying scope of the unprecedented natural disaster in the country during the past 10 days.
The before/after images were taken by the DigitalGlobe, an American commercial vendor of space imagery and geospatial content, using its WorldView-2 and WorldView-3 satellites.
The catastrophic wildfires, ignited by unknown causes in the southwest of Fort McMurray city in the country’s oil-rich Alberta province, led to the mass evacuation of the city. The massive blaze spread rapidly to the outskirts of Fort McMurray and has so far charred over 2,200 square kilometers of the province, with 2,400 homes and other buildings destroyed.
http://www.presstv.us/Detail/2016/05/11/464972/Canada-DigitalGlobe-wildfire-Alberta
New satellite images of Canada’s insane wildfires show the horrifying scope of the unprecedented natural disaster in the country during the past 10 days.
The before/after images were taken by the DigitalGlobe, an American commercial vendor of space imagery and geospatial content, using its WorldView-2 and WorldView-3 satellites.
The catastrophic wildfires, ignited by unknown causes in the southwest of Fort McMurray city in the country’s oil-rich Alberta province, led to the mass evacuation of the city. The massive blaze spread rapidly to the outskirts of Fort McMurray and has so far charred over 2,200 square kilometers of the province, with 2,400 homes and other buildings destroyed.
Horseofadifferentcolor
Jedi Council Member
angelburst29 said:
Wow, that image of the smoke from space is nuts. Did you see this posters comment?
"i keep reading that these whole sitution is about uranium under where the houses were, and that it is tied to clinton foundation, , and they want to get the uranium out in the near future"
I wonder where they are hearing that.
angelburst29
The Living Force
Horseofadifferentcolor said:
Hi Horseofadifferentcolor, this link below of a 10 minute video - that was posted earlier, gives some speculation on the uranium rumors.
So far, no real documentation has surfaced yet for the claim but the guy in the video gives some "food for thought"?
angelburst29
The Living Force
Something is really not adding up here? They are claimng, "efforts to deal with the disaster may take months" yet Canada has turned down International help offered by Russia, the US, Mexico, Australia, Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and Taiwan. Instead, the Prime Minister announced, he was "profoundly touched" by the offers of support? What Planet is this guy orbiting? How "profoundly touched" does he think the resident's and business's feel, in losing their homes, properties, etc. and being "displaced" for the next couple of months, having loss everything? Is this "a controlled burn" to clear the land and move the population to another area?
As Alberta Burns, Some Looking to Turn Blaze into Anti-Russian Call to Arms
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160512/1039516124/alberta-wildfire-russian-offer-assistance-politicized.html
Canadian firefighters have made a valiant effort to beat back the monster 2,290 square kilometer wildfire which rocked the community of Fort McMurray and its environs at the beginning of the month. The disaster, which has impacted Canada's oil sands operations, is on course to becoming the costliest disaster in Canadian history.
CBC News reported that the wildfire is currently burning across 2,290 square kilometers in the prairie province's northeast, 30 kilometers from the provincial border with Saskatchewan, and that efforts to deal with the disaster may take months.
About 700 firefighters, twenty-six helicopters and 13 air tanker planes are involved in the effort to fight the Fort McMurray blaze, with another 850 firefighters, 95 helicopters and 15 tankers fighting other wildfires across the province.
But as Canadians take a breather from fighting the destructive forces of nature, political commentators are trying to add fuel to another blaze, this time in the international political arena.
Earlier this week, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau graciously turned down offers by Russia, the US, Mexico, Australia, Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and Taiwan to help battle the Alberta wildfires. Canada, he said, has the resources necessary to deal with the emergency. At the same time, the prime minister said that he was profoundly touched by the offers of support.
Last week, the Russian Emergencies Ministry offered its assistance, announcing that they were prepared to send Il-76 fire-fighting water bombers to help defeat the blaze. Canadian officials politely said that they would take the offer into consideration.
Unfortunately, not everyone has been as polite. In an op-ed for The Globe and Mail newspaper on Wednesday, foreign affairs commentator David Bercuson called out Russia, triumphantly calling his piece "Trudeau was right to refuse Russia's help with Fort Mac fire."
Bercuson, a professor at the University of Calgary's School of Public Policy and fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, emphasized that Ottawa's decision to decline Russia's help "was the right call."
"And although some Canadians think the Prime Minister is being narrow-minded, or too eager to cozy up to Washington in refusing Russian help, the decision actually shows a growing sophistication on the part of the Prime Minister and his advisers about Canada's place in the world and who is – and who is not – aligned with our national interests," he added.
Bercuson suggested that the Russian offer, instead of being a heartfelt symbolic gesture from its northern neighbor, was really part of a twisted plot by the Kremlin "to loosen the ties that bind both the European Union and NATO," and "would surely like to take every opportunity that comes its way to work itself between the United States and Canada."
If Canada does end up needing help, he said, it won't be asking Russia, but will "turn to the United States." Canada, "as an independent country highly dependent on the United States for trade, security and defense, [needs] to proceed carefully when it comes to dealing with Putin's Russia."
The Russian president, Bercuson noted, 'annexed Crimea', supports separatists in eastern Ukraine, threatens the Baltic states, "deliberately provokes the US Navy and Air Force" off Russia's maritime borders in the Baltic Sea, and perhaps worst of all, "backs President Bashar al-Assad of Syria with military power."
Trudeau's rejection of Russian aid specifically, the analyst explained, is a righteous declaration that Canada would not "return to business as usual with Mr. Putin's Russia." Ottawa, he emphasized, is "displaying a refreshing hard-headedness by refusing to woo Russia in some misguided and indeed dangerous effort to balance our dependence on the United States with a new relationship with Russia. Or by allowing Russia to woo us."
Needless to say, not all Canadians share Mr. Bercuson's sentiment. Not seeing in the 'deep geopolitical significance' of accepting an offer to help, many Canadians suggested that in this case, Ottawa shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.
Trudeau Declines International Help in Fighting Alberta Wildfires
http://sputniknews.com/world/20160510/1039362268/canada-wildfire-trudeau-help.html
Justin Trudeau says there is no need in foreign assistance in tackling the wildfires: "The good news is from the support that we have seen from Canadians across the country, different provinces sending over waterbombers, engaged in all sorts of different ways, firefighters coming from all across the country to help, there is no need to accept any international assistance at this point," Trudeau told reporters, as quoted by RCI.
However, he profoundly thanked international partners who volunteered to help Ottawa deal with the natural disaster.
"One of the things that has been touching over the past days is not just how Canadians have been stepping up from across the country to support their friends in Fort McMurray but how the international community has been affected and responding to this tragedy, to this ongoing challenge," Trudeau told reporters, as quoted by the media outlet.
The Russian Emergencies Ministry recently offered to send Il-76 firefighting planes to help tackle wildfires in Canada.
Alberta has been gripped by wildfires since early May, most affected is the oil-producing town of Fort McMurray when 1600 houses have been reduced to ashes. The damage caused by wildfires to McMurray is estimated at 9 billion Canadian dollars ($7 billion).
Canada Wildfire to Spread Northeast, Poses No Threat to Alberta Oil Fields
http://sputniknews.com/environment/20160508/1039249207/canada-wildfires-wont-affect-oil.html
On Wednesday, Alberta declared a state of emergency as the number of evacuees surpassed 80,000 and at least 1,600 buildings have been affected. The wildfire was discovered near Fort McMurray late on Sunday and spread into the city on Tuesday as winds blew in the direction of populated areas.
"We still expect the fire to grow to the northeastern connection… and we feel that there is good potential that the fire will reach the Saskatchewan border by this evening," Morrison said in an update broadcast by Canadian networks Saturday.
Morrison reassured that the 600-square-mile fire continued to move away from the community and the oil sands facilities.
"We do expect the fire to bump up against the edge of the south end of the Suncor facility today. These sites are very resilient to wildfire largely because they’re free and clear of vegetation and trees," he underscored.
The Department of the Environment, meanwhile, issued air quality warnings across northwestern Saskatchewan as smoke from the Alberta wildfires spread across the provincial towns.
As Alberta Burns, Some Looking to Turn Blaze into Anti-Russian Call to Arms
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160512/1039516124/alberta-wildfire-russian-offer-assistance-politicized.html
Canadian firefighters have made a valiant effort to beat back the monster 2,290 square kilometer wildfire which rocked the community of Fort McMurray and its environs at the beginning of the month. The disaster, which has impacted Canada's oil sands operations, is on course to becoming the costliest disaster in Canadian history.
CBC News reported that the wildfire is currently burning across 2,290 square kilometers in the prairie province's northeast, 30 kilometers from the provincial border with Saskatchewan, and that efforts to deal with the disaster may take months.
About 700 firefighters, twenty-six helicopters and 13 air tanker planes are involved in the effort to fight the Fort McMurray blaze, with another 850 firefighters, 95 helicopters and 15 tankers fighting other wildfires across the province.
But as Canadians take a breather from fighting the destructive forces of nature, political commentators are trying to add fuel to another blaze, this time in the international political arena.
Earlier this week, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau graciously turned down offers by Russia, the US, Mexico, Australia, Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and Taiwan to help battle the Alberta wildfires. Canada, he said, has the resources necessary to deal with the emergency. At the same time, the prime minister said that he was profoundly touched by the offers of support.
Last week, the Russian Emergencies Ministry offered its assistance, announcing that they were prepared to send Il-76 fire-fighting water bombers to help defeat the blaze. Canadian officials politely said that they would take the offer into consideration.
Unfortunately, not everyone has been as polite. In an op-ed for The Globe and Mail newspaper on Wednesday, foreign affairs commentator David Bercuson called out Russia, triumphantly calling his piece "Trudeau was right to refuse Russia's help with Fort Mac fire."
Bercuson, a professor at the University of Calgary's School of Public Policy and fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, emphasized that Ottawa's decision to decline Russia's help "was the right call."
"And although some Canadians think the Prime Minister is being narrow-minded, or too eager to cozy up to Washington in refusing Russian help, the decision actually shows a growing sophistication on the part of the Prime Minister and his advisers about Canada's place in the world and who is – and who is not – aligned with our national interests," he added.
Bercuson suggested that the Russian offer, instead of being a heartfelt symbolic gesture from its northern neighbor, was really part of a twisted plot by the Kremlin "to loosen the ties that bind both the European Union and NATO," and "would surely like to take every opportunity that comes its way to work itself between the United States and Canada."
If Canada does end up needing help, he said, it won't be asking Russia, but will "turn to the United States." Canada, "as an independent country highly dependent on the United States for trade, security and defense, [needs] to proceed carefully when it comes to dealing with Putin's Russia."
The Russian president, Bercuson noted, 'annexed Crimea', supports separatists in eastern Ukraine, threatens the Baltic states, "deliberately provokes the US Navy and Air Force" off Russia's maritime borders in the Baltic Sea, and perhaps worst of all, "backs President Bashar al-Assad of Syria with military power."
Trudeau's rejection of Russian aid specifically, the analyst explained, is a righteous declaration that Canada would not "return to business as usual with Mr. Putin's Russia." Ottawa, he emphasized, is "displaying a refreshing hard-headedness by refusing to woo Russia in some misguided and indeed dangerous effort to balance our dependence on the United States with a new relationship with Russia. Or by allowing Russia to woo us."
Needless to say, not all Canadians share Mr. Bercuson's sentiment. Not seeing in the 'deep geopolitical significance' of accepting an offer to help, many Canadians suggested that in this case, Ottawa shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.
Trudeau Declines International Help in Fighting Alberta Wildfires
http://sputniknews.com/world/20160510/1039362268/canada-wildfire-trudeau-help.html
Justin Trudeau says there is no need in foreign assistance in tackling the wildfires: "The good news is from the support that we have seen from Canadians across the country, different provinces sending over waterbombers, engaged in all sorts of different ways, firefighters coming from all across the country to help, there is no need to accept any international assistance at this point," Trudeau told reporters, as quoted by RCI.
However, he profoundly thanked international partners who volunteered to help Ottawa deal with the natural disaster.
"One of the things that has been touching over the past days is not just how Canadians have been stepping up from across the country to support their friends in Fort McMurray but how the international community has been affected and responding to this tragedy, to this ongoing challenge," Trudeau told reporters, as quoted by the media outlet.
The Russian Emergencies Ministry recently offered to send Il-76 firefighting planes to help tackle wildfires in Canada.
Alberta has been gripped by wildfires since early May, most affected is the oil-producing town of Fort McMurray when 1600 houses have been reduced to ashes. The damage caused by wildfires to McMurray is estimated at 9 billion Canadian dollars ($7 billion).
Canada Wildfire to Spread Northeast, Poses No Threat to Alberta Oil Fields
http://sputniknews.com/environment/20160508/1039249207/canada-wildfires-wont-affect-oil.html
On Wednesday, Alberta declared a state of emergency as the number of evacuees surpassed 80,000 and at least 1,600 buildings have been affected. The wildfire was discovered near Fort McMurray late on Sunday and spread into the city on Tuesday as winds blew in the direction of populated areas.
"We still expect the fire to grow to the northeastern connection… and we feel that there is good potential that the fire will reach the Saskatchewan border by this evening," Morrison said in an update broadcast by Canadian networks Saturday.
Morrison reassured that the 600-square-mile fire continued to move away from the community and the oil sands facilities.
"We do expect the fire to bump up against the edge of the south end of the Suncor facility today. These sites are very resilient to wildfire largely because they’re free and clear of vegetation and trees," he underscored.
The Department of the Environment, meanwhile, issued air quality warnings across northwestern Saskatchewan as smoke from the Alberta wildfires spread across the provincial towns.
