FORT MCMURRAY: A wildfire forced the evacuation of the Canadian oil sands city of Fort McMurray, Alberta, destroying 80 per cent of the homes in one neighbourhood and extensively damaging property in a number of others, officials said on Wednesday, warning that it could get worse in the coming hours.

More than 80,000 residents were ordered to flee as flames moved into the city, destroying whole neighborhoods. No injuries have been reported. Unseasonably hot temperatures combined with dry conditions have transformed the boreal forest in much of Alberta into a tinder box.

The wildfire threat ranged from very high to extreme in different areas.

An overnight update from the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo said the Beacon Hill suburb in the south end has suffered the most damage from flames with 80 percent of the homes lost.

A dozen trailers on one street in the neighborhood of Timberlea have gone up in flames, with serious losses are reported in the Abasand and Waterways suburbs. Some homes have been lost in four other neighborhoods.

Fire chief Darby Allen told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. on Wednesday that parts of wooded areas of the city are still burning but no structures were currently on fire. But Allen said he’s worried about the plumes of smoke he sees outside his window and worried about the wind and its direction.

“It could be even more devastating unfortunately,” he said.Firefighters were working to protect critical infrastructure, including the only bridge across the Athabasca River and Highway 63, the only route to the city from the south.Forestry manager Bernie Schmitte told reporters overnight that there was still danger from “very high temperatures, low relative humidities and some strong winds.“

Canadian Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said in a statement Wednesday he is watching the situation with “great concern” and said “situation is fluid and evolving rapidly”.

He noted the federal government is monitoring the situation carefully, including the military.Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan, in a conference call from Germany early on Wednesday, confirmed a formal request for assistance has been received from the Alberta government.

What form that will take — at least on the military side — is still being determined and they are expecting to hear soon about the kind of equipment and personnel required.

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2016