Between May and early August of 2016, a massive wildfire burned in the northeastern region of Alberta (the Fort McMurray area). The wildfire was the most expensive disaster in Canadian history.
Burned for over a month (May 1, 2016 – August 2, 2017)
Almost 1.5 million acres burned
largest wildfire evacuation in Alberta’s history, with upwards of 88,000 people forced from their homes
With an estimated damage cost of C$9.9 billion, it was the costliest disaster in Canadian history.
Combined with the high temperatures, this created a “perfect storm” of conditions for an explosive wildfire, and significantly contributed to the fire’s rapid growth.
As a testament to the Canadian Government’s efficiency and readiness, there were no direct deaths associated with this massive fire.
The federal government was criticized after international assistance from Australia, Israel, Mexico, the Palestinian Authority, Russia, Taiwan, and the United States was offered in battling the fire, and turned down by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Russia specifically offered Ilyushin Il-76[1] firefighting aircraft that could handle up to 42 tons of fire suppression at one time. Trudeau said that while the offers were appreciated, they were unnecessary as firefighters from other Canadian provinces were gaining control of the situation.
Approximately one million barrels of oil a day, equal to a quarter of Canada’s oil production, was halted as a result of the fire in May 2016. This continued into June at a rate of 700,000 barrels per day. The lost output was estimated to cost the Albertan economy $70 million per day, and was a contributing factor to rises in global oil prices. The scaled back operations, along with a refinery outage in Edmonton, caused many gas stations to run out of gas throughout Western Canada.
Climate Analysis of the Fort McMurray Fire (Climate.gov)
The remote Canadian city of Fort McMurray, in the middle of the northern Alberta’s Athabasca tar sands (oil deposits that are the site of large-scale natural resource extraction), has found itself at the epicenter of an enormous conflagration. Flames from a still-growing wildfire have caused the complete evacuation of the city (population: 80,000).
Difference from average land surface (not air) temperatures for April 27 – May 7, 2016 for most of North America. Warmer-than-average temperatures (red) dominate across much of central and western Canada, while below-average temperatures (blue) occurred across eastern North America and the southern U.S. Above-average temperatures in northern Alberta helped to dry vegetation and aided in the spread of the wildfire, which devastated parts of Fort McMurray, Canada.
A flammagenitus cloud is produced by the intense heating of the air from the surface. The intense heat induces convection, which causes the air mass to rise to a point of stability, usually in the presence of moisture. Phenomena such as volcanic eruptions and forest fires can induce formation of this cloud.
The 2004 Willow Fire burning near Payson, Arizona, producing a flammagenitus cloud. By Eric Neitzel – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31292202Flammagenitus cloud above the 2014 Oregon Gulch Fire in Oregon and California, 2014. Aircraft is an F-15C Eagle.
Effects on wildfires
A flammagenitus cloud can help or hinder a fire. Sometimes, the moisture from the air condenses in the cloud and falls as rain, often extinguishing the fire. There have been numerous examples of a large firestorm being extinguished by the flammagenitus that it created. However, if the fire is large enough, the cloud may continue to grow, and become a type of cumulonimbus cloud known as a cumulonimbus flammagenitus, which may produce lightning and start another fire. Even if there is no lightning, a cloud of this type can cause a sudden increase in wind speed, which could dramatically worsen the wildfire that created the cloud.
A deadly wind-driven fire that started Tuesday largely destroyed the small community of Walker, Calif., and has burned nearly 21,000 acres. It also gave rise to a dramatic pyrocumulus cloud.
“It was a remarkable wind event that caused multiple destructive wildfires,” said Alex Hoon, an incident meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Reno. “The winds were like a freight train. Winds of this magnitude are uncontainable.”
Semi-Sequitur: When Sabine Gets Nervous, We Should All Get Nervous
Honorary friend of WLBOTT, Sabine Hossenfelder is a respected physicist who presents complex phenomena in a relatable manner. She calls is “Science without the Gobbledygook.”
Yesterday, she posted an analysis of climate change that has her worried. Within 20 hours, her video has received almost half a million views.
[1] Ilyushin Il-76
The Russian Il-76, offered by our friends from the former Soviet Union, seems to have a “staying in the air” problem.
On a more serious note, the Ukrainians shot down a Russian military Il-76 on Jan 24, 2024. After the crash, Russian authorities concocted a story that the plane was carrying Ukrainian POWs for a prisoner exchange. The story is total bullshit.
Honorary friend of WLBOTT, Jake Broe, details the Russian lies.
they did not inform Ukraine of a prisoner transport
there were only 7 bodies at the crash site (typical crew census for Il-76 munitions transport)
Ukraine immediately called for a an international investigation. Russia? Nyet.
Russia released a list of POWs allegedly on the plane. The list included several names of previously released prisoners
the magnitude of the explosive crash (video footage available) indicates that the cargo plane was carrying munitions
2 replies on “Fort McMurray Wildfire”
As if losing a home wasn’t bad enough, there was considerable psychological damage to the firefighters who had to bulldoze homes in order to contain the blaze.
As for the offers for help from all over the world, while appreciated, it would be impossible to coordinate. There is, literally, one road to Ft. Mac. There is one airport, and that was on fire. The closest runway that could accommodate an IL-76 (and has an adequate emergency response team to clean up the wreckage) is Edmonton (YEG).
The federal response was the best response. Instead of having two dozen agencies tripping over each other, it was a coordinated, life-saving response.
[…] 2024_01_30 2024_01_29 2024_01_28 2024_01_28ahttps://www.wlbott.com/?p=16381 ← We Celebrate March […]
2 replies on “Fort McMurray Wildfire”
As if losing a home wasn’t bad enough, there was considerable psychological damage to the firefighters who had to bulldoze homes in order to contain the blaze.
As for the offers for help from all over the world, while appreciated, it would be impossible to coordinate. There is, literally, one road to Ft. Mac. There is one airport, and that was on fire. The closest runway that could accommodate an IL-76 (and has an adequate emergency response team to clean up the wreckage) is Edmonton (YEG).
The federal response was the best response. Instead of having two dozen agencies tripping over each other, it was a coordinated, life-saving response.
[…] 2024_01_30 2024_01_29 2024_01_28 2024_01_28ahttps://www.wlbott.com/?p=16381 ← We Celebrate March […]