Residents in northern Alberta remain on evacuation alert as wildfires continue to burn out of control, but fire officials report that a change in the weather is providing some assistance to crews. The largest fire in the province, estimated at 6,579 hectares, is located about 16 kilometers southeast of Fort McMurray and 12 km west of Highway 63. After a windy weekend that fueled rapid growth of the blaze, Alberta Wildfire officials issued an update on Monday stating that “light rain showers are expected today, which will help lower fire activity.” Environment Canada forecasts a high temperature of 19 C in Fort McMurray for Monday, with mainly cloudy skies, a 60% chance of showers, and winds from the southeast at 20 km/h. Fire officials anticipate that “this will give firefighters a good window to continue making progress on containing the fire,” while heavy equipment operates on a fire guard on the northeast side of the blaze. Six crews of firefighters are working to establish a containment line, supported by 13 helicopters and airtankers on standby. Notably, two night vision helicopters worked overnight to drop water on the fire using their buckets.
