Cool weather, rain to aid in fight against fire threatening Fort McMurray
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Cooler temperatures and calmer winds have helped subdue the wildfire threatening Fort McMurray, a relief to firefighters bracing for a prolonged battle with the flames.
Four neighbourhoods on the southwest edge of the oilsands hub remain evacuated as the fire continues to burn mere kilometres from the community.
The order to leave came Tuesday as the fire nearly doubled in size, chasing 6,600 people out of their homes.
The fire continues to burn out of control and now covers nearly 21,000 hectares of forest along the south side of the Athabasca River valley, less than six kilometres from the outskirts of the community.
Officials have said the weather will dictate how the fire moves, and when it is safe to return.
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Municipal and emergency officials will provide an update on the wildfire and efforts to protect the evacuation zone during a news conference at 10 a.m. MT today.
Jody Butz, the regional fire chief, Josee St-Onge, an information officer with Alberta Wildfire and Sandy Bowman, mayor of the Regional Municpality of Wood Buffalo, will speak at Thursday's news conference.
WATCH: Fort McMurray evacuation order in place until at least Tuesday
Thursday's forecast calls for an afternoon high of 11 C and up to 20 millimetres of rain before nightfall.
"I've woken up to what appear to be really favourable conditions," Fort McMurray firefighter Mark Stephenson said in an interview Thursday morning.
"It's raining out. The ground is wet. And it's cooler today.
"I'm hoping for a good day for Fort McMurray."
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The fire threatening Fort McMurray is now 5.5 km from the municipal landfill on the outskirts of the core and less than five km from the intersection of Highway 63 and Highway 881, the only roads leading south.
On Wednesday a smaller fire was detected three km north of Fort McMurray. As of Thursday morning, it was less than one hectare in size and posed no threat to the community.
The neighbourhoods of Prairie Creek, Beacon Hill, Abasand and Grayling Terrace make up the evacuation zone, where firefighters are now at work.
An evacuation alert remains in place for the remainder of the city and many surrounding communities, with residents on orders to be prepared to leave at a moment's notice.
In the areas most at risk, crews are clearing any debris that might catch a spark and dousing homes and businesses with fire retardant. Soakers, studded with cannons that can blast enough water into fire-threatened ditches to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool every 90 minutes, are part of the effort.
"The system was designed after 2016," said Derek Sommerville, a wildfire specialist with the Alberta company Fire and Flood Emergency Services.
"We can cover large distances. That frees up traditional mobile resources like fire trucks and helicopters to deal with higher priority areas."
The hoses, six kilometres of them, powered by a battery of 600-horsepower pumps, are an example of how Alberta seems better prepared to face such threats than it was eight years ago.
"They're definitely a little better prepared with the notices that came out," said David Warwick, a resident of one of the evacuated neighbourhoods.
The wildfire threatening Fort McMurray grew rapidly on Monday, fueled by shifting winds. (Alberta Wildfire)
This is the second time Fort McMurray, a city of 68,000, has been forced to flee the flames. In 2016, destroyed more than 2,000 homes and forced 80,000 out of the city and surrounding area.
Mark Stephenson, a firefighter in Fort McMurray for years, watched his own home burn in 2016. As his wife and children evacuated to safety this week, he remained behind to again fight the flames.
After the 2016 fire, he recovered a few small belongings from the wreckage of his home, including his son's piggy bank. His son took the keepsake with him when he left Fort McMurray with his mother on Tuesday.
Stephenson said knowing that his family is safe helps him focus on the task ahead, one he feels crews are better prepared for this time.
The strength and expertise of the emergency response has increased while the the strength of this fire pales in comparison, he said.
"I'm hopeful that none of our neighbourhoods are going to be touched."
This article, written by Wallis Snowdon, was originally published for CBC News on Thursday, May 16.
