Changing winds expected to help fight Fort McMurray wildfire that’s forced thousands to flee homes

globalnews.ca:

Emergency officials in Alberta say they hope the changing direction and weakening strength of winds blowing near Fort McMurray will help crews as they continue to fight a wildfire that’s already forced thousands of people to flee the area.

“Winds today should help push fire away from Fort McMurray,” Alberta Wildfire information unit manager Christie Tucker told reporters at a news conference in Edmonton on Wednesday morning.

She said “gusty winds” fuelling the threatening wildfire helped trigger Tuesday afternoon’s evacuation order for parts of Fort McMurray.

“We are expecting the fire to move away from the community and away from the highway,” Tucker said Wednesday, adding that fire crews hope to make “significant progress” on battling the blaze while wind conditions help. “Of course winds can change.”

In an update posted to the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo’s website just before 9 a.m. local time on Wednesday, officials said the out-of-control MWF-017 fire was about 21,000 hectares in size.

In all, about 6,600 residents from the southern part of Fort McMurray, a community of about 68,000 people, have been forced to leave their homes. The rest of Fort McMurray and a number of surrounding communities remain on an evacuation alert.

In a post on its website, the RMWB said wildfire evacuees who were forced to leave their homes on Tuesday “can expect to be evacuated until at least Tuesday, May 21.”

“Until the evacuation order is lifted, it’s not safe to return to the neighbourhoods of Prairie Creek, Abasand, Beacon Hill and Grayling Terrace,” municipal officials said, noting it is possible the evacuation order could remain in place beyond May 21.

Premier Danielle Smith also spoke at Wednesday’s news conference Tucker