LAC LA BICHE: Canada prepared Thursday to airlift to safety up to 25,000 people who were forced from their homes by raging forest fires in Alberta’s oil sands region, and now risk getting trapped north of Fort McMurray.
The oil city of 100,000 people has been ordered evacuated after firefighters backed by air tankers and helicopters failed to prevent the monster blaze from engulfing entire neighborhoods.
Authorities are now concerned that evacuees who found refuge north of the city could become trapped if shifting winds send the flames spreading towards them.
“Right now we are working with industry to do as much air evacuation as possible,” said Alberta Premier Rachel Notley.
“And we are doing everything we can to open the highways so we can get fuel up there and then get those folks moving south as quickly as we can.”
Carried out with government and petroleum industry aircraft, an
airlift will begin Thursday for a first 8,000 people, said Scott Long, executive director of operations of the Alberta emergency agency.
