Who
The fire is considered a (singular) wildfire (rather than a collection of wildfires). It has been attributed to warmer-than-average atmospheric conditions, with temperatures rising more than 40o F above normal for this time of year. Strong winds have helped fan the flames and encourage the rapid spread of the fire in all directions from its starting point (Kahn, 2016).
What
On May 1, 2016, a fire started 15 km east of Fort McMurray, prompting local officials to declare a state of emergency, and initiating a mandatory evacuation of the neighborhoods of Prairie Creek, Gregoire, and the Centennial Trailer Park. More than 80,000 people were evacuated, and though the fire has continued to spread, destroying neighborhoods and razing forestland, it has not yet caused any fatalities directly (Snowdon, 2016).
When
The McMurray wildfires began on Sunday, May 1, 2016, and as of Wednesday, May 18, 2016, they are ongoing. The most recent reports from Tuesday, May 17, indicate that the fire is continuing to spread across Northern Alberta, and it has encroached upon Athabasca oil sands operations, leading to the evacuation of hundreds of workers. On Tuesday, the fires destroyed a 665-room work camp owned by Horizon North Logistics, of Calgary, Alberta, CA. The fires will require a significant amount of rainfall to be put out for good, and as there is no rain forecasted for the week that started May 15, the fires are expected to continue unabated for the next several days. However, thanks to cooling temperatures, by Sunday, May 22, the fire danger forecast for Alberta is expected to be “very high” in only a small region to the northeast, and “extreme” in no part of the province. This is a significant downgrade from Tuesday, May 17, when the risk of fire was “extreme” for nearly the entire province, as reported by Natural Sources Canada (Globe Staff and the Canadian Press, 2016).
Where
The fire started in Fort McMurray, 440 km to the northeast of Edmonton, in Alberta, a province in western Canada. Fort McMurray is located 56.7o N, 111.4o W. Since the fire began on Sunday May 1, it has spread in all directions from its initial location. As of Tuesday, May 17, the fire region spanned nearly 110 kilometers from east to west, and nearly 70 kilometers from north to south. The area of the fire region on Tuesday was 354,000 hectares. For comparison, this region would cover more than 60% of Prince Edward Island (Globe Staff, 2016). The figure below shows the fire’s extent as of Tuesday, May 17.
Figure 1: The fire’s extent as of May 17. Image credit: Globe Staff and the Canadian Press.
Why
A natural root cause of the fire may be global warming. The unseasonably warm temperatures, high winds, and low humidity that have cultivated the spread of the fire may ultimately be attributable to the larger climatic phenomenon of global warming (Holthaus, 2016).
How
While the ultimate cause of the wildfire has not yet been determined, the fire is known to have been exacerbated by the unusually hot and dry air mass that was in place over Northern Alberta on May 1 and which brought record temperatures to Fort McMurray. The combination of high temperature, strong (72 km/h) winds, and low humidity created ideal conditions for the fire. Global warming has also been suggested as a contributing factor (Tasker, 2016).
Works Cited
Globe Staff and the Canadian Press. “The Fort McMurray fire: Re-entry plan in disarray as blaze heads northward.” The Globe and Mail. 18 May 2016. Web. 18 May 2016.
Holthaus, Eric. “We Need to Talk About Climate Change.” Slate. 6 May 2016. Web. 18 May 2016.
Kahn, Brian. “Here’s the Climate Context for the Fort McMurray Wildfire.” Climatecentral.org. 4 May 2016. Web. 18 May 2016.
Snowdon, William. “Fort McMurray braces for high winds in battle with wildfire.” CBC News Edmonton. 3 May 2016. Web. 18 May 2016.
Tasker, John. “'Of course' Fort McMurray fire linked to climate change, Elizabeth May says.” CBC News. 4 May 2016. Web. 18 May 2016.
