Fort McMurray Fires

[FishingMOM]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

Be warned !!
I am out of danger now and back Online And will have none of this fear mongering!
Cat

Province wide state of emergency was declared boys!

[Bobbydee]

thoughts and prayers are with the folks that involved

keep up the good fight and lets come together as we know Alberta Can.

[thirty-30]

Fort Mac Airport still online as of a few minutes ago, according to the webcam but dont' look good. It updates at :41 every hour. Guess we'll see in 60 minutes.

RE: the High Level Situation, the fire is now on the roof of the OSB plant and has made it's way inside. If it gets into the sawdust piles we are probably screwed

[KegRiver]

Me.too

Sent from my SGH-I547C using Tapatalk

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by FishingMOM

Province wide state of emergency was declared boys!

However the fear mongering part is not about state of emergency.
Cat

[FishingMOM]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

However the fear mongering part is not about state of emergency.
Cat

I never said it was.
I just said that there was a province wide state of emergency in place.
it was declared at 2:34 after Notley toured Ft Mac.

Time for you guys to put your money where you mouth is.....
Notley is going to put up some $$$

#Alberta gov't will match dollar-for-dollar donations made @redcrosscanada for #FortMcMurray. #ymmfire #FortMacFire

[avb3]

My son just told me he has been assigned to Anzac as part of the emergency response efforts. He's driving north after working all day, won't be there until midnight, and is expecting to work through the night and all day tomorrow. Looks like a ton of assets are being pulled in.

[FishingMOM]

So some areas are being held and other areas are extinguished!

[does it ALL outdoors]

It takes ALOT to pull on my heart strings. I have a cold little black heart that bleeds for no one, but it's bleeding now. Incomprehensible this damage, it's hard to even watch it on the boob tube. I'm gonna buy an Alberta flag to fly from my truck redneck style I don't care how cheesy it looks. Its rally time fellow Albertans!

[FishingMOM]

[silverdoctor]

I don't know what to say, seriously having a hard time wrapping my head around this destruction. More wild fires around the province, also in BC.

Stay safe people.

[catnthehat]

I just learned on a news feed that a tractor trailer and SUV involved in a fire retardant dump from a plane on 881 fatalities .
Dam that's bad!
Cat

[FishingMOM]

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

I just learned on a news feed that a tractor trailer and SUV involved in a fire retardant dump from a plane on 881 fatalities .
Dam that's bad!
Cat

Yeah, and it started another forest fire.

Four evacuations now.

[silverdoctor]

Looks to be some rain coming in from the south west, can only hope it becomes a downpour heading northeast.

[canadiantdi]

Heard that Suncor is shutting down flat.

[Walleye Willy]

John Craig MacIsaac
19 hrs · Fort MacKay ·



I am laying here in the dark on the floor of a camp room. My family was fortunate enough to get a room but I know not everyone was as lucky. Right now I am so jealous of my children because they have no fears, no sense of loss about everything. It'd actually calming for me to reassure my daughter that her toys don't matter, and that the few personal items we got out are more than we need.

It's funny because as I stare in the dark I keep telling myself that the words running through my head aren't true. The words "it's all gone" won't pass. But I keep reminding myself of what I know to be true more than ever. I have everything in this room with me. When I was leaving our home I looked all around and tried to decide what was important enough to take and the answer was nothing. Nothing mattered except my family. It still doesn't. And I feel so grateful because when I tried to leave town south bound I was delegates from my wife and my daughter Olivia, and I had my daughter Emma with me. I got to a point where I couldn't go further and the highway was covered in flames and I didn't think we would make it out. I looked at my angel and I have never felt such a fear. Such dread thinking I wouldn't be able to save what I hold dear. That's what I can't shake. What I can't let go. And while I trembled and shook; my little girl in all her innocence smiled at me and was laughing and wanted to play.

I'm not writing this for help or for sympathy. I have what I need and we will be just fine. I'm writing this for two reasons. One because I need to let some of this out of my head, and two because I hope it will make everyone squeeze your kids a little tighter this week. Read them an extra bed time story. Give them an ice cream and watch them smile. Call your sister you are angry at and make up, or your brother you haven't had time to chat with in a while and say hi. Tell your loved ones they are loved and make time for a family dinner. Everything else is bull****. It does not matter.

I came to Fort McMurray in 2008. I already knew when I got here I didn't like it and I was just gonna make a few dollars and leave. This place has became my home because I found out everything I heard about the town was wrong. It is friendly, happy, and a great sense of community. And it has given me everything. My wife. My children. My career. My friends. My greatest memories and milestones. And tonight as I write I still have all those things.

As I left town tonight I saw emergency workers still working. Risking their lives to get us all out. Police. Paramedics. Firefighters. And from what I have heard so far we all got out. And I have even heard we have a few new members to help rebuild our community, as some children have been born in the midst of chaos and are safe and sound in one of the work camps north of town. I saw camp workers going up to the desk of their camp trying to hand in their keys so families could have a place to stay. People smiling and people in tears, and children running and laughing. It gives me hope that people are better than we think. More caring and selfless. Kind and compassionate.

And McMurray, I don't know what's left of it really. But I know it will stand again. It will be rebuilt. Because my story of McMurray is all too common. We are young and love our home. We have built it together as it has built us and our families. And the sense of community I what I have always known from growing up in small towns like most of the people here.

I don't really know if anything here made sense, nor do I care. I do know it has helped me tremendously to put it in words, and if you have read this far thanks for your time and good night.

[bobinthesky]

Well said.

[Passthru]

Jesus that's heartbreaking. Don't know what to say.........thanks for posting this.

[arrow dog]

Thanks for your heartfelt words. Gives us all something to think about!

[waterninja]

All I can say is that the amount of help and support that Ft. Mac is recieving makes me proud to be an Albertan, and a Canadian. I just listened to a HUGE list of manpower and resources that are being mobilized, and it is staggering. Add that to all the help that poured in from the start from everyday people and buisnesses, and it really sounds possible that people will be able to get on with their lives in a timely manner.
Also find it hard to believe that not one person has been reported killed because of the fire. Heck, we even got 2 FT Mac Fire Babies being born during the chaos.

[oilngas]

At about 9 tonite there was a very large heavy lift helicopter over SE Calgary. It was heading for YYC airport. The last time I looked into renting one of these it was about $40,000/hr. c/w five man crew.

It was followed by a twin engine water bomber type craft.

So I assume that "they" are pulling assets from wherever to Fort McMurray.

[badbrass]

Originally Posted by Walleye Willy

John Craig MacIsaac
19 hrs · Fort MacKay ·



I am laying here in the dark on the floor of a camp room. My family was fortunate enough to get a room but I know not everyone was as lucky. Right now I am so jealous of my children because they have no fears, no sense of loss about everything. It'd actually calming for me to reassure my daughter that her toys don't matter, and that the few personal items we got out are more than we need.

It's funny because as I stare in the dark I keep telling myself that the words running through my head aren't true. The words "it's all gone" won't pass. But I keep reminding myself of what I know to be true more than ever. I have everything in this room with me. When I was leaving our home I looked all around and tried to decide what was important enough to take and the answer was nothing. Nothing mattered except my family. It still doesn't. And I feel so grateful because when I tried to leave town south bound I was delegates from my wife and my daughter Olivia, and I had my daughter Emma with me. I got to a point where I couldn't go further and the highway was covered in flames and I didn't think we would make it out. I looked at my angel and I have never felt such a fear. Such dread thinking I wouldn't be able to save what I hold dear. That's what I can't shake. What I can't let go. And while I trembled and shook; my little girl in all her innocence smiled at me and was laughing and wanted to play.

I'm not writing this for help or for sympathy. I have what I need and we will be just fine. I'm writing this for two reasons. One because I need to let some of this out of my head, and two because I hope it will make everyone squeeze your kids a little tighter this week. Read them an extra bed time story. Give them an ice cream and watch them smile. Call your sister you are angry at and make up, or your brother you haven't had time to chat with in a while and say hi. Tell your loved ones they are loved and make time for a family dinner. Everything else is bull****. It does not matter.

I came to Fort McMurray in 2008. I already knew when I got here I didn't like it and I was just gonna make a few dollars and leave. This place has became my home because I found out everything I heard about the town was wrong. It is friendly, happy, and a great sense of community. And it has given me everything. My wife. My children. My career. My friends. My greatest memories and milestones. And tonight as I write I still have all those things.

As I left town tonight I saw emergency workers still working. Risking their lives to get us all out. Police. Paramedics. Firefighters. And from what I have heard so far we all got out. And I have even heard we have a few new members to help rebuild our community, as some children have been born in the midst of chaos and are safe and sound in one of the work camps north of town. I saw camp workers going up to the desk of their camp trying to hand in their keys so families could have a place to stay. People smiling and people in tears, and children running and laughing. It gives me hope that people are better than we think. More caring and selfless. Kind and compassionate.

And McMurray, I don't know what's left of it really. But I know it will stand again. It will be rebuilt. Because my story of McMurray is all too common. We are young and love our home. We have built it together as it has built us and our families. And the sense of community I what I have always known from growing up in small towns like most of the people here.

I don't really know if anything here made sense, nor do I care. I do know it has helped me tremendously to put it in words, and if you have read this far thanks for your time and good night.

Thanks for that! Keep Safe!

[Kurt505]

Growing up there, this was always a fear of mine, not so much a fire raging through town so much as a fire raging towards town, coming down the highway. One road out to civilization, if it's shut down you're trapped.

I have a lot of friends and relatives there, some have lost their homes, some haven't, and some that still might. For those directly affected I can only imagine this is a nightmare that still hasn't set in yet. The next few weeks are going to be extremely tough on thousands of people, but it will also bring out the best in Albertans and I have no doubt the little city at the end of the road will be better than ever.

If anything can be learned from this, I hope the province realizes a need for an escape route. 80,000 people evacuated and so far only two fatalities is incredible, and I would say borderline miraculous. I hope Fort McMurray gets an escape route into the works when the rebuilding starts.

I heard from friends trapped on the north side who are suncor employees evacuated while at work. They got evacuated north of the city, but that's as far as the evacuation plans went, I'm sure there is still thousands trapped north of Mac with no idea how or when they will make it to civilization. I hope they are able to get out soon.

[Ken07AOVette]

Apparently a pace officer had been killed here. They are of course being very quiet about it. Pretty grim right now.

[catnthehat]

I fear that when we are allowed back I that we will be once again swamped with an enormous emotion once we figure out just what we lost snd what we didn't .

Heaven only knows if that will be one day or one week!
Cat

[Albertadiver]

Thanks for doing what you did up there today KenAO07vette. I'm sure you helped a ton of people.

[CanadianPsycho]

a nifty gif of the fires progression

[super7mag]

Originally Posted by avb3

My son just told me he has been assigned to Anzac as part of the emergency response efforts. He's driving north after working all day, won't be there until midnight, and is expecting to work through the night and all day tomorrow. Looks like a ton of assets are being pulled in.

Hopefully he can squeeze in a bit of rest after the drive, praying for him and all first responders stay safe.

[Mistagin]

Hi all, my wife and I are safe. We evacuated yesterday afternoon, with both vehicles and me pulling our boat, and headed north as instructed. No accommodations at camps at the time we arrived so we camped out under the 'bridge to nowhere' with a bunch of other folks. This morning we headed back south and made it through town around 8:30. With what we saw we decided to head for our daughter's place in Shiloh, Manitoba! Okay, we were going to go there on Friday anyway We are now at friends place by Saskatoon.

Our house is in Abasand - north end, Alexander Crescent. Last word we had was that it is standing. Don't know if it is damaged or not. We're told by a reliable source back in Fort McMurray that it could be a week or even 2 before we can go home. Looks like an extended road trip - Ontario family (parents, kids, and grandkids) here we come!

Thanks for all the well-wishes and support (and prayers from the praying folks!).