Entire Canadian city of 60,000 evacuated due to wildfire
The city of Fort McMurray in Alberta, Canada, was evacuated Tuesday due to an out-of-control wildfire that officials say has doubled to 10,000 square miles in one day.
With 60,000 people affected, it is the largest wildfire evacuation in the history of the province, CBC News reports. Fort McMurray is about 270 miles northeast of Edmonton, and homes in at least two neighborhoods have been destroyed. Hot and dry conditions contributed to the fire, but once the wind started, the fire quickly spread.
Darby Allen, the fire chief for the Wood Buffalo regional municipality, told CBC News that Tuesday was the "worst day of my career." The fire is "ugly" and "nasty," he added, and "hasn't shown any forgiveness." The military is waiting for a request to help fight the fire, CBC News reports, and with high wind gusts expected on Wednesday, the burning will likely be more intense.
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Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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