MONTREAL, Canada – Thousands of people were ordered to evacuate a city in the Canadian oil sands region due to a major wildfire approaching Fort McMurray's north end, officials said Tuesday, May 3.
The fire was "growing rapidly" toward the city in Alberta province. Mandatory evacuations were now in effect for 7 neighborhoods in the city of 100,000, according to an alert issued around 3:30 pm (2130 GMT) by Alberta emergency authorities.
Shortly afterwards, the situation worsened.
"A number of evacs under way, and likely more to come. Be calm. Be prepared. Be ready to move politely in traffic to a safe destination," Mayor Melissa Blake tweeted.
Long lines of cars headed north via the main highway of the city after police closed the southward lanes.
Authorities urged residents to head toward evacuation centers some 20 kilometers (12 miles) away.
The fire, which was contained until Monday, May 2, south of Fort McMurray, was pushed toward the city by winds and quickly reached homes, helped by a drought in Alberta. The province saw record temperatures of nearly 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) on Tuesday.
On Monday, an alert was issued and some 500 people were evacuated as a precaution due to smoke from the wildfire. – Rappler.com