Cooler temperatures, rain give firefighters hope in Canada

Published 9:32 am Monday, May 9, 2016

FORT MCMURRAY, Alberta — Cooler temperatures and light rain have officials optimistic they’ve reached a turning point on getting a handle on a massive wildfire that has devastated parts of Canada’s oil sands town of Fort McMurray.

Alberta Premier Notley said the battle against the fire has stabilized to the point where she can visit and begin the next phase of the government’s operation to determine what must be done to eventually allow people to return to the city. A massive evacuation of 25,000 residents displaced by the blaze also came to an end.

More than 80,000 people have left Fort McMurray in the heart of Canada’ oil sands, where the fire has torched 1,600 homes and other buildings. Gas has been turned off, the power grid is damaged and water is not drinkable. Officials said there is no timeline to return residents to the city, but the provincial government is sending in a team on Monday to do preliminary planning.

Email newsletter signup

David Yurdiga, the member of Parliament for the area, toured Fort McMurray Sunday and said he was now more optimistic.

“We’ll be back on our feet a lot quicker than I thought we would be,” he told reporters at the roadblock just south of the city. “All of the key infrastructure is in place. Our hospital is standing. Our schools are standing. Our treatment plant is functioning.”