Canadians line up to evacuate fire-ravaged city

Long convoys of cars are following the lead of Canadian police to evacuate the city of Fort McMurray, which is surrounded by wildfires, to safety.

Convoys, sometimes as long as 50 vehicles, left Fort McMurray, Alberta, at speeds of 50 to 60 km/h.AFPPolice were present at intersections along the evacuation route to ensure people did not stray or return home to look for valuables.

The wildfire broke out on May 1 and spread rapidly, forcing the Alberta provincial government to order the evacuation of Fort McMurray, home to about 100,000 people.

Three military helicopters flew above the convoy to warn if the fire got too close to Highway 63 or crossed the road, as it had done a few days ago.

This is the second time Fort McMurray residents have been forced to evacuate. Earlier this week, they left their homes and moved north to the city, where oil companies have set up housing for workers.

However, authorities concluded that the area was no longer safe due to a change in wind direction, trapping them in the flames and needing to move south, possibly to the city of Edmonton in the same province, about 400 km from Fort McMurray.

Authorities evacuated about 8,000 people from north Fort McMurray by helicopter and plane on May 5. They expect it will take about four days for 17,000 people to evacuate by road from the danger zone.

More than 1,100 firefighters are battling 49 fires across Alberta, seven of which are completely out of control. The fires have burned 100,000 hectares, including 12,000 hectares around Fort McMurray.

The wildfire remains uncontained and is expected to double in size by the end of the day on May 7, said Chad Morrison, senior fire manager at Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. The fire won’t be extinguished for “a long time” without heavy rain.

Canada's government weather forecaster says there's a 30 percent chance of rain tomorrow, followed by sunshine on May 9 and no more rain until late next week.

Location of Fort McMurray, Canada. Graphics: BBC.

According to VNE