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Fort McMurray Wildfire Forces 8,000 Additional Evacuations | The Weather Channel

Fort McMurray Wildfire Forces 8,000 Additional Evacuations

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This image shows smoke from the Fort McMurray wildfire on Monday, May 16, 2016.
(NASA)

A massive wildfire continues to burn in Fort McMurray, Canada, and its push toward oil sands camps north of the Albertan city forced officials to evacuate 8,000 workers on Monday.

The evacuation notice expanded to some 30 miles north of the city, which remains closed to the 88,000 residents and visitors who were forced out more than two weeks ago, the Associated Press reported. The oil sands workers were attempting to restart production when they were given the orders to leave, the report added.

Some workers in the evacuation zone told CBC that they witnessed the sky turn from bright orange to dark grey in about an hour's time on Monday, and they were ordered to leave soon after.

"We're very tense, scary situation," Cody Andruchow, a worker staying at Hudson Lodge, some 20 miles north of Fort McMurray, told CBC. "Everybody is concerned. But we're safe for right now."

(MORE: Pair of Wildfires Burning in Western Washington)

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Fire officials told BBC.com that the thick smoke and ash were making their operations more difficult, and winds continued to push the flames rapidly into new areas. The blaze is expected to burn for at least a few more weeks, the report added.

The fire continues to make air quality dangerously poor in and around Fort McMurray. Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said the air quality health index, normally graded from one to 10 with 10 being the worst, was at 38 Monday morning, the AP also said.

"Alberta Health Services has recommended that members of the public who had been previously arranging to return to the area under various requests not return until those conditions improve," Notley said during a press conference in Edmonton. "This is something that could potentially delay recovery work and a return to the community."

Notley also said city officials have been able to restore electricity, resume water treatment operations and prepare the airport for business, but all residents should remain out of Fort McMurray until evacuation orders have been lifted.

The wildfire has burned at least 595,200 acres of land and destroyed some 2,400 structures in Fort McMurray, many of which were homes.

Firefighters and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers greet returning residents from an overpass on Highway 63 just outside Fort McMurray, Alberta, on June 1, 2016. Tens of thousands of Fort McMurray residents were expected to begin trickling back into the Canadian oil city ravaged by wildfires almost a month after the blaze was declared no longer a threat.
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Firefighters and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers greet returning residents from an overpass on Highway 63 just outside Fort McMurray, Alberta, on June 1, 2016. Tens of thousands of Fort McMurray residents were expected to begin trickling back into the Canadian oil city ravaged by wildfires almost a month after the blaze was declared no longer a threat.
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