Fort McMurray is an urban service area in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo in Alberta, Canada. It is located in the middle of the Athabasca oil sands, surrounded by boreal forest, with a population of 68,002 residents as of 2021. The city is the hub for the country’s oil-sands output and has played a significant role in the development of the national petroleum industry.
According to recent reports, a wildfire 7.5km from Fort McMurray has led to the evacuation of about 6,000 residents from four suburbs out of the city. The fire, fueled by dry conditions and high winds poses a threat to the city in the western province of Alberta as it puts a significant risk on Canada’s oil production as it approaches Fort McMurray landfill. The Alberta wildfire authorities states that the fire has grown significantly, covering more than 51,740 acres.
In 2016, wildfires led to the evacuation of 90,000 residents and shut in more than 1 million barrels per day of output.
