The Alberta Wildfire, 2016

The Alberta Wildfire, 2016

1. 'The Beast'

2. Canada, in a forest to the southwest of Fort McMurray

3. CAUSE

   • Unknown
   • Initially under control, but a shift in wind direction intensified fire
   • 'Spotting' - wind carried burning embers to ignite fires ahead of fire front - harder to mitigate.
     • Jumped a one kilmetre river in places
   • Favourable environmental conditions
     • Lack of winter snowfall and an early snow melt
     • Warmer than average temperatures dried out ground
     • Temperatures soared late April, low humidity, tinder dry vegetation
     • Due to El Nino
       • Earlier springs in high latitudes could extend fire season
   • What made it worse once the fire started?
     • Temperatures exceeded 30 degrees Celsius, winds increased to supply oxygen
     • Fire created weather patterns - lightning led to more ignition
       • Positive Feedback

4. IMPACTS

   • SOCIAL
     • SHORT TERM
       • 90,000 forced to evacuate
       • 2400 homes and buildings burned down
       • Disrupted power supplies
     • LONG TERM
       • Movement in area restricted
       • Jobs/livelihoods affected
       • Anxiety over future
       • Contaminated water supplies
   • Environmental
     • SHORT TERM
       • Scorched soil and tree roots
         • Affected boreal forest ecosystem
       • Dry peaty soils could reignite any time until rainfall
       • Burned around 600,000 ha of land - size of Norfolk
       • Several millions of tonnes of CO2 released
     • LONG TERM
       • Huge quantities of waste - e.g rotting food from freezers, and toxic waste from fire - had to be disposed of
       • Ash washed into water course after rain - led to water pollution and contamination of aquatic wildlife
       • Toxins - mercury, lead, organic compounds - released from burning trees and debris - created air pollution as far as USA and Gulf Coast
   • Economic
     • SHORT TERM
       • A third of 25,000 workers in the nearby oil sands industry evacuated from work camps.
         • Production halted in north of Fort McMurray
         • Shell Canada temporarily shut down Albian Sands mining operation.
       • Airport transport affected
     • LONG TERM
       • Cost Shell Canada industry CAN$1 billion
       • Initial insurance estimates - CAN$9 billion damage
       • Possibly most costly Canadian disaster
   • POLITICAL
     • Fuelled debate over impacts of climate change and increased vulnerability in future
     • Gov. officials oversaw evac. programmes and liased with emergency services
     • Coordination of reconstruction programmes for infrastructure and services
     • Alberta gov. oversaw re entry of area

5. RESPONSES

   • SHORT TERM
     • 15 miles 'no go zone' south of Fort McMurray
     • Careful monitoring of fire using ground and satellite data
     • Meteorological info used to forecast likely direction of fire's track
     • Emergency services mobilised and warnings issued, 90,000 evacuated
       • Aircraft evacuated some oil sands workers
       • Firefighters brought in from neighbouring states
     • 90% infrastructure saved
     • State of emergency declared by Alberta gov. Triggered support from Canadian army
       • 15 helicopters, 14 air tankers, air tractors - carried 800 to 1750 gallons of lake water
     • 9 May - Red Cross received donations over CAN$50 million
   • LONG TERM
     • Federal gov. matched Red Cross donations
     • Gov. of Alberta provided CAN$1250 per adult and $500 per dependant to help evacuees cover living expenses
     • Nearby Edmonton created an online registry to help evacuees find accomodation.
     • June - evacuees could return
     • End of June - benefit concert 'Fire Aid' to raise money