# Alberta Fire



## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Fort McMurray.

Regards, Mike

http://www.accuweather.com/en/features/trend/massive_fort_mcmurray_wildfire_forces_evacuations_undefineds_buildings/57165028


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

It's been absolutely crazy many of our friends have lost their homes or previous homes.

In the community that was 80% lost one of our close friends house is still standing but everything is contaminated with smoke.

My next door neighbour is in the Anzac camp, I texted him an hour ago and they are being evacuated south as the fire is approaching.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

slowzuki said:


> It's been absolutely crazy many of our friends have lost their homes or previous homes.
> 
> In the community that was 80% lost one of our close friends house is still standing but everything is contaminated with smoke.
> 
> My next door neighbour is in the Anzac camp, I texted him an hour ago and they are being evacuated south as the fire is approaching.


How far are you from this?


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

I'm on the other side of the country but a huge % of our young population works or has moved there in the last 15 years. In my community of say 100 people there is one man left under 65 years old, the rest have moved or work fly-in fly-out shifts in northern Alberta.

Out of the group of 20 or so people that I hung out with growing up, all but 3 of us are in or up until recently lived in Fort Mac.



Teslan said:


> How far are you from this?


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

A girl I went to kindergarten with and remained close friends with until she moved to Fort Mac about 15 years ago posted this photo of their former house:









She and her husband still own a condo in Gregoire community where the fire is heading today.

One of my best friends loaded up 4 people and a dog into his truck and took off leaving everything behind. They made it to Edmonton yesterday.

Another one of my best friends sent his wife and 2 kids south without him as he was trapped north of the city. He got out yesterday too.


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

We need rain bad here in Alberta. Everywhere is under fire bans. On the news last night they said 45 wild fires burning. My wife's uncle is up fighting the fires at Fort Mac. A sad day. A lot worse than five years ago when the town of Slave Lake was hit by forest fire. 80 000+ people are now homeless.


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## carcajou (Jan 28, 2011)

Getting a little tense up here. Fires popping up all over and i'm surrounded by timber. They just estimated the bill so far in Fort Mac.... 9 Billion and growing. So far that fire has consumed 210,000 acres.


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

It's made me consider cutting the woods back further from our place. It last burned flat here in the 1940s or so.


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## carcajou (Jan 28, 2011)

slowzuki said:


> It's made me consider cutting the woods back further from our place. It last burned flat here in the 1940s or so.


I hear you, i'm planning on plowing a fire guard to the South of me tomorrow, but if a fire comes from the West..... oh well not much can be done. RAIN!!


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

Even here there has been a lot of grass fires. A couple just down the road from me. Went to Red Deer yesterday and lots of spots in the ditch where a small fire burned. Its scary dry and we need rain bad everywhere in Alberta.


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## Swv.farmer (Jan 2, 2016)

I fill for all those people they have lost everything.
I just pray for them that God will stand by them and watch over them and comfort them.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Dang guys, I really wish I could have sent you all the rain we've had in the last two weeks. I mean its wet enough here ain't nothing going on except drinking adult beverages and wishing for drier weather.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Hoping yall get some rain up there....nothin scarier than fire. Mother Nature could provide some much needed relief......


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

So far they are saying the damage from the fire is estimated at $9 billion dollars. Two deaths so far being reported from a collision on the road when people were evacuating. The next town over where a bunch of people went too has now been evacuated because of the fire. The people who went north to the oil sand work sites are now being allowed to drive back through to escape. One thing some people might not realize is there is really only two main roads to the city of Fort Macmurry.


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

My neighbour just arrived back at lunch time, they flew him out of Anzac on a chartered plane. All the rest of my friends are south now.

One of them wrote a heart wrenching note to all of his friends this morning, I've copied it below but taken out his wifes name.

"This might be a long post. 
It's been an emotional couple of days to say the least. Trying to deal with and sort out everything that has happened. Emotions are not my strong point, and I find that difficult to deal with. But (wife), myself and the children are safe now. Really that's all that maters. As I was leaving work to meet (wife) and the kids we were talking on the phone. She had the kids packed up and in the car trying to leave. Then the fire seemed to pick up speed, and traffic stopped. (Wife) and the kids, in the car not moving, with fire coming at them, me not able to do anything because I couldn't get to them. The feeling of uselessness alone in the moment was heartbreaking. Then (she) started to give me the "I need you to know that I love you" speech ( I thought it was going to be the end ), because she didn't think she was going to make it. Fire was that close. But she did a little off roading with the car to make it to the highway. I can't say how proud I am of her, and how grateful I am that she is my wife and the mother of our children. To drive through smoke so thick she couldn't see the ground at times and to keep going to safety. I had to turn around because the fire was blocking the road and the smoke was too thick to drive through. The next morning (Wednesday) I hit the road again and made it to beacon hill where we live. I will put up a couple pictures of what I first saw. Our house was ok then, and we hope it still is, but the pictures speak for themselves. 
We are just figuring out how to deal with the emotions now, and probably will for a while. The outpouring of generosity and help has been heart wrenching. The amount of people that lined the highway in neighbouring communities handing out jerrycans of free gas, water, snacks, diapers and everything else. I can't say thank you enough. It really was amazing. 
That's enough of a novel from me for now. Thanks everyone for your prayers and thoughts."


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## carcajou (Jan 28, 2011)

There better be a damn good reason why Coulson's Martin Mars has not been contracted. Its only the beginning for Fire season here.


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

There is a post by the owner about why it's not there, they have other aircraft contracted and working the fire and the Mars is undergoing inspection. Other reason was that it's too hot right now, if I recall their payload falls off rapidly with air temperature.



carcajou said:


> There better be a damn good reason why Coulson's Martin Mars has not been contracted. Its only the beginning for Fire season here.


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## carcajou (Jan 28, 2011)

If they would have been under contract that annual inspection would have been done earlier. We just had a Convair CV580 go down at our nearby tanker base. Pilots i hear are ok., thank God. I have been told once the runway is repaired the tanker group will return. Up another 40,000 acres since yesterday.


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

carcajou said:


> There better be a damn good reason why Coulson's Martin Mars has not been contracted. Its only the beginning for Fire season here.


.

There better be a good reason why a lot of things are not being done the way they should be. Sadly there is not and a lot of people paid the price for i]


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Lots of pictures and info on the Weather Channel about the Alberta fire. Just pure devastation.

Regards, Mike


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

A handful of planes isn't going to make a difference, they need rain.


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## carcajou (Jan 28, 2011)

slowzuki said:


> A handful of planes isn't going to make a difference, they need rain.


 Right now, maybe so. After one night of lightning strikes a handful of planes may save another community. I do agree on the rain though.


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

yes don't want any new starts right now elsewhere.


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## carcajou (Jan 28, 2011)

Update 385,000 acres and growing. Estimated 500,000 acres by days end.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

I see where some are saying the fire might reach Saskatchewan now. Incredibly destructive fire driven by the high winds.

Regards, Mike

https://www.google.com/search?q=Aerial+photography+of+Alberta+wildfire&espv=2&biw=1280&bih=633&tbm=isch&imgil=WMfOTY797IX18M%253A%253B0muBi_9nUKz9KM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.cnn.com%25252F2016%25252F05%25252F05%25252Fworld%25252Fgallery%25252Fcanada-wildfire-fort-mcmurray%25252Findex.html&source=iu&pf=m&fir=WMfOTY797IX18M%253A%252C0muBi_9nUKz9KM%252C_&usg=__I0gzHs6x0fbW4cxaqzoq7-N-h84%3D&dpr=1&ved=0ahUKEwjY8ZWKmMnMAhVF5iYKHVGkACAQyjcILg&ei=toMuV9i-FsXMmwHRyIKAAg#imgrc=0eyH0Pb9CRuo2M%3A


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

http://www.metronews.ca/news/calgary/2016/05/02/ndp-defends-wildfire-budget-cut-fort-mcmurray.html

http://www.metronews.ca/views/metro-views/2016/05/05/of-course-fort-mcmurray-wildfire-is-political.html

Regards, Mike


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

You guys desperately need it and we desperately need it to stop&#8230;.

Maybe if we can get Obama, Hillary, Sanders, Gore, Rosie O'donel and a few other "liberal stars" we can have em all give a speech at the same time and blow the rain up to you guys..


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## carcajou (Jan 28, 2011)

The Ft Mac fire has expanded to 620,000 acres and another fire on the Alberta/ BC border has grown to about 150,000 acres. Some rain is forecast for Thursday so we can hope....



mlappin said:


> You guys desperately need it and we desperately need it to stop&#8230;.
> 
> Maybe if we can get Obama, Hillary, Sanders, Gore, Rosie O'donel and a few other "liberal stars" we can have em all give a speech at the same time and blow the rain up to you guys..


Sure would be nice if that happened. We have enough Liberals in AB, maybe that's our problem.


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## carcajou (Jan 28, 2011)

2 days since my last post and it's estimated to be 875,000 acres now.


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## 2ndWindfarm (Nov 11, 2014)

Very, very stressful for all those families! My heart goes out to all those whose lives have been turned inside out..

Two years ago we were staring up into those gigantic, billowing clouds of fire and smoke less than a mile from our farm.

The Canadian water bombing planes saved our place and the farms of our neighbors as well. Amazing pilots and crews!

Godspeed, Canada.


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## carcajou (Jan 28, 2011)

This is crazy, over 1,000,000 acres now.






A friend of mine's sister took this yesterday before another evacuation of an additional 8000 people, mainly workers from North of Fort McMurray. Ever see a sky that colour before?


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

carcajou said:


> This is crazy, over 1,000,000 acres now.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That is bizarre....you folks need a good rain badly. What is the long range prognosis for weather and for the fire?

Regards, Mike


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

One of my best friends houses was finally confirmed to have burned down. Just a foundation left. He had just moved in a few weeks ago.


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

There calling for rain around Alberta over the next few days. Here's hopping they are right.


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## carcajou (Jan 28, 2011)

Been snowing here for the past few hrs. lol


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## carcajou (Jan 28, 2011)

How it looked here at 5am. This will make the hay grow! About 2 inches of wet slush at the bottom, 5"- 6" total so far.


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## 2ndWindfarm (Nov 11, 2014)

carcajou said:


> How it looked here at 5am. This will make the hay grow! About 2 inches of wet slush at the bottom, 5"- 6" total so far.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yee Haa! Time to roll out another bale or two for the cows and head back to the couch...

Raining here today. We were getting pretty dry and the fire danger was extreme. Probably have 6-8 inches of timothy, though.

That sky looks to be a bit scary... I can remember standing outside enveloped by those giant clouds of smoke and feeling claustrophobic - almost trapped. Like a heavy gray lid over the top of you!

Not something you want to be living with for an extended period of time.


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## carcajou (Jan 28, 2011)

1,430,000 acres and still out of control.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Wow.....hard to believe, what a catastrophe.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

I read today where fire fighters from South Africa had arrived to help. Hard to believe this fire has raged on and on.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

I can see it, been hot and dry here for a week and some of that rye that Dad sprayed had me nervous, about 30" tall and dryer than a popcorn fart, I stopped several times and cleaned some off the manifolds of the tractor and it was scorched and we've had rain this year, had a lot up until 2-3 weeks ago.


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