Canada wildfires: 6,600 people evacuated from their homes in Alberta

The fire near Fort McMurray, Alberta, has put the community on high alert after the costliest wildfire in Canadian history.

A wildfire near Canada's largest oil-producing region forced the evacuation of approximately 6,600 residents from Fort McMurray, Alberta, with the fire burning nearly 21,000 hectares of land.

Several thousand other city residents were advised to be ready to evacuate at any time. The evacuation on Tuesday brought back terrifying memories of a big fire in 2016 that destroyed over 2,400 houses and businesses, prompted 90,000 people to escape, and became the most expensive natural catastrophe in Canadian history.

During a press conference on Wednesday, Danielle Smith, Premier of Alberta stated: “I know that this will bring back difficult memories from the devastating fires of 2016,” adding, “And I’m sure these memories will create fear and uncertainty.”

The wildfire season in Canada comes after a record-breaking year in 2023, when about 45 million acres of forest burnt, a significant rise from the yearly average of 6.1 million.

Unusually huge flames raged across the country last year, from Nova Scotia on the Atlantic coast to British Columbia on the Pacific. Choking smoke from fires in Quebec blanketed the sky of Eastern Canada, flowing down and deteriorating air quality along the East Coast of the United States.

Video credit: Global News

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