The entire population of a Canadian city has been evacuated as a wildfire ripped through the region leaving a trail of devastation.
More than 80,000 residents of Fort McMurray in Alberta have been ordered to leave their homes as high winds fanned the huge flames.
Whole neighbourhoods have already been destroyed by the uncontrolled blaze, according to officials in the city.
Rachel Notley, the premier of Alberta, called it the biggest evacuation in the history of the province.
Alberta appealed for help from the military to battle the fire and airlift people from the smoke-filled city after authorities issued the mandatory evacuation order, but officials said army and air force assistance would take two days to arrive.
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About 44,000 people were estimated to be on the roads, fleeing the city, while approximately 8,000 had reached an evacuation centre outside Fort McMurray, officials said.
“Right now, we have fire burning within the city,” Chief Darby Allen, of Fort McMurray’s fire department, said. “Homes are on fire as we speak.”
The 2,650-hectare fire, which was first discovered on Sunday, shifted aggressively with the wind on Tuesday to breach city limits. The blaze closed the main southern exit from the city, Highway 93, prompting many residents to head north towards the oil sands camps.
Fort McMurray is the heart of Canada’s oil sands region. The Alberta oil sands are the third largest reserves of oil in the world behind Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. Most oil sands projects are well north of the community, while the worst of the flames are on the city’s south side.
Suncor Energy said its main plant, 25 km (16 miles) north of Fort McMurray, was safe, but it was reducing crude production in the region to allow employees and families to get to safety.
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Suncor said evacuees were welcome at its Firebag oil sands facility, while Canadian Natural Resources Ltd said it was working to ensure any of its workers and their families could use its camps.
Shell Canada also said it would open its oil sands camp to evacuees and was looking to use its airstrip to fly out non-essential staff and accommodate displaced residents.
A number of flights from Fort McMurray airport were cancelled and the airport advised passengers to check with their airlines for updates.
The unseasonably hot temperatures combined with dry conditions have transformed the boreal forest in much of Alberta into a tinderbox. The wildfire threat ranged from very high to extreme in different areas. The province was calling in more reinforcements to Fort McMurray, including 100 more firefighters and a giant helicopter that can dump more than 2,000 litres (500 gallons) of water at a time.
Television footage and photographs on Twitter showed flames and smoke billowing over the city and a destroyed trailer park. Officials said a gas station had exploded and flames engulfed the roof of a Super 8 Hotel during a live report on Canadian television.
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At least one residential neighbourhood in the city’s southeast had been destroyed by the fire and others were severely damaged or still under threat, local fire chief Allen said.
“I’m afraid that huge parts of my home town, Fort McMurray, may burn tonight and will continue to burn tomorrow,” Brian Jean, leader of Alberta’s official opposition party, told CBC Radio, adding that his own home was in the immediate path of the fire.
“My thoughts are with people affected by the fire in Fort McMurray tonight,” Justin Trudeau, the prime minister, tweeted. “Stay safe and remember to follow evacuation orders.”
Nine air tankers, more than a dozen helicopters and about 150 firefighters were battling the fire, officials said.
The fire is the second major one in the oil sands region in less than a year. Last May wildfires led to the evacuation of hundreds of workers and a 9 per cent cut in Alberta’s oil sands output.