June 23, 2016.
Fort Mac cleanup workers are filing their security and health concerns to Alberta Occupational Health and Safety against their employers.
June 16,2016.
There was incident due to pay dispute between the firefighters and Working on Fire, the company that hired them. Failing to find a suitable solution for both parties, South African firefighters were settled to leave Canada.
June 15,2016.
Cleanup workers are complaining that they are not properly trained to clean up the debris and have not received to proper outfits. A national restoration company is under investigation
Fort McMurray residents are seeking answers and would like to know who is responsible for the wildfire that put so many lives in danger. Also they are wondering if the city did enough trying to stop wildfire to spread out so quickly as it did.
June 14, 2016
RCMP has started to investigate what the origin of the fire was that burnt down over 2400 buildings in Fort McMurray before it was too late. They currently have no suspects but they are calling upon public to cooperate if anyone has information regarding the fire.
The Canadian Red Cross has opened a permanent in Fort McMurray to continue assisting those in need as Fort McMurray residents are returning home.
June 11, 2016:
These cousins in showing their support for the Fort McMurray wildfire victims decided to journey to Fort McMurray while fundraising. They have now landed in Edmonton after passing through two other cities.
The airline is offering discounted fares and other benefits on flights to Fort McMurray.
June 10, 2016:
Beacon Hill School situated in one of the hardest hit areas by the Fort McMurray wildfire will remain closed for the upcoming school year as it is filled with toxins due to smoke despite no structural damage.
June 9, 2016:
Heavy rains in Fort McMurray has created hazardous conditions prompting rainfall warning.
The Wood Buffalo Food Bank announced its reopening date after cleaning up destruction left by wildfire.
June 8, 2016:
Questions over wages remain as some South African firefighter prepare to return home.
A young boy in Barrie, ON donates collected monies to Red Cross in support of Fort McMurray.
June 7, 2016:
A few days after returning home, Fort McMurray residents witness another large fire this time in the downtown area as crew work hard to put it out. More footage on the fire
After being made to evacuate their city due to wildfires, a Fort Mac couple have had their trailer full of belongings stolen and ransacked.
The stomach bug infection that hit Fort Mac evacuation centres set up in certain cities in the early days of hosting evacuees has been declared over.
Re-entry/Rebuilding:
Residents of the Grayling Terrace and Draper vicinities in Fort McMurray return home on final day of the voluntary phased re-entry plan.
Family who lost a daughter and a cousin in a crash while exiting Fort McMurray share their account in coping with the losses.
RCMP arrests contractor who tried to break into a resident’s valuable in Fort McMurray.
In a time where the town of Fort McMurray look to move on after the wildfires, a boom may be on the lurk for the construction industry.
Fort McMurray residents in zone 3 and zone 4(a) return to their homes on the third day of the voluntary reentry plan. Visits to restricted areas scheduled to begin soon.
Mayor Blake talks about hotels gouging prices as residents look for shelter upon return to Fort McMurray and provide answer to curb such practices.
An account on how one pharmacist in Fort McMurray rose to the occasion during crunch time as people were being evacuated.
Inspiring messages on billboards set up along Highway 63 to welcome Fort McMurray residents returning home.
Home Hardware sells 6 months worth of fridges on first day of of the voluntary reentry plan for Fort McMurray.
As residents of Fort McMurray return to their homes, officials devise a way to deal with all the damaged fridges in residents’ homes.
Tenants living in Wood Buffalo Housing and Development Corporation-owned building fear their insurance claims will be jeopardized as their will not be able to return until WBHDC has cleaned it.
Premier Rachel Notley and municipality officials address evacuees returning to Fort McMurray on issues such as financial support, health, reopening of hospital, businesses, etc.
Fort McMurray residents give their take on reentry as the first batch of people prepare to return to their homes.
Premier Notley provides more concrete information on the voluntary reentry plan scheduled to begin June 1.
Wood Buffalo officials and the Alberta Emergency Management hold a meeting to discuss the safety of Fort McMurray as the voluntary reentry plan draws near.
Fort McMurray residents in hardest hit areas suffer a setback as reentry plan pushed back due to toxic chemicals found in surrounding debris. More on setback
Most renters in Fort McMurray will not be able to return during the reentry period as landlords put in efforts to make units livable again.
More on animals entering vacated city (link)
Premier Notley provides a timeline for which a phased voluntary reentry plan will commence provided certain conditions are met.
- May 14,2016
Evacuation:
Woman who was evacuated from her Fort McMurray home as fire drew near was also evacuated from a camp where she stayed after leaving home. Unfortunately for her, she left her passport at the camp as she was at work and will not be allowed back to retrieve it hence is not going to see her son get married.
Days after camps north of Fort McMurray were evacuated due to fire moving towards them, mandatory evacuation order has been lifted as conditions have improved significantly.
The bison herd living on a depleted oilsands mine that has been filled in and planted with vegetation is said to be coping well despite fire raging close as daily check ups are done.
Camps north of Fort McMurray evacuated as wildfire threatens.
Students in Calgary were joined by their new Fort McMurray classmates to close out the school year.
Wildrose leader Brian Jean provides updates of evacuees in places he has visited.
Despite evacuation order being put in place, man chooses to stay in Fort McMurray and ends up fighting fire that was around the edge of the area he lives in.
RCMP arrests one man while patrolling Fort McMurray.
Health Concerns:
With the voluntary reentry plan for Fort McMurray a day away, improving air quality a welcome sight.
With smoke from the Fort McMurray wildfire making its way to Edmonton, a precautionary air quality advisory has been put in place.
Researchers have began tracking the health of firefighters helping with the battle against the wildfire in Fort McMurray as they return.
With Alberta’s Air Quality Health Index reading normally on a scale of 1 to 10, Fort McMurray index lately has been way off the charts.
Specialists from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission have been sent to Fort McMurray to check out radiological devices in the area that may have been affected by the wildfire.
Fight Against Wildfire:
Despite the wildfire still noted as been out of control, officials say the blaze is now more than 50 percent contained.
Firefighters in Fort McMurray had a boost as weather cools up in the area despite the blaze been denoted as out of control.
The province is looking to bring in 1000 more firefighters to help gain an upper hand on the Fort McMurray wildfire dubbed “the Beast”. Positive weather signs have enabled the government to have firefighters on the ground.
Premier Notley states that electricity has been restored in most of Fort McMurray and so have gas lines. She also provides more updates on the progress to meeting the reentry conditions.
Fire Chief Darby Allen says that they have the worse of the of the wildfire under control now and is hopeful as they continue to fight.
Donations/Support:
President and CEO of the Canadian Red Cross expresses his appreciation at the generosity of Canadians during a hard time for Fort McMurray residents.
A Kelowna restaurant has had donations it received from customers to support Fort McMurray stolen in a break-and-enter.
Willingdon Elementary students show their support for the Fort McMurray evacuees by holding a fundraiser that yielded thousands of dollars.
High school students graduating this year had thousands of gowns to choose as people did not want them to miss out on their graduation.
A benefit concert called “Giving Back to the Mac” held in Cape Breton raises over $250,00 which will go to the Red Cross to help Fort McMurray wildfire victims. More on the concert
The band Nickelback and other Canadian musicians are set to play at a Fire Aid benefit concert on June 29 for which all proceeds will go to the Fort McMurray United Way to help the city’s rebuilding efforts.
Six year old puts up a lemonade stand and will give proceeds to support Fort McMurray evacuees
Students of Queen Elizabeth II Public School shows their support for the Fort McMurray wildfire victims by having a yard sale.
Rob Schneider performs a fundraising comedy show at the comic strip in West Edmonton Mall to support Fort McMurray evacuees.
The Edmonton Prospects baseball club opened their training facilities to the Fort McMurray Giants as wildfire prevents them from training at home.
Despite having their own crisis, the community of Attawapiskat comes together to show their support for the victims of the Fort McMurray wildfire.
Communities all around Edmonton are helping Fort McMurray families integrate nicely to regain some sort of normalcy in their lives.
A detailed interview as to how the Red Cross is getting funds to the Fort McMurray evacuees.
A descriptive intel as to what evacuees need to bring in order to obtain the preloaded debit cards issued by the government and the locations of distribution.
- May 11, 2016
Damage:
The government of Alberta has released an app that provides Fort Mac residents a bird’s eye view of the town so they can check up on their properties.
Explosions in two distinct areas of Fort McMurray results in a number of homes being damaged.
Google is offering a bird’s eye view of Fort McMurray obtained from its satellite imagery on May 5. This shows the extent of damage in the city as of that time.
The wildfire that hit the city of Fort McMurray doesn’t appear to be slowing down as two fires join.
The wildfire in Fort McMurray became the latest point for some people to bash the oilsands industry with some comments being insensitive and unhelpful.
A video captured by a dashcam as vehicles tried to flee what was to be one of the hardest hit areas in Fort McMurray.
Fleeing:
More on residents sharing evacuation stories (link)
Airline makes exception for “furry friends” as no one is left behind.
An update on how Fort McMurray residents that travelled north during evacuation will be moved south as wildfire continues to grow northwards.
A video of one resident fleeing Fort McMurray inferno. More on residents’ driving out of Fort McMurray (link)
Staff and patients at Fort McMurray’s main hospital managed to flee wildfire by been flown out, some via Westjet planes.
An article about how the wildfire near Fort McMurray grew in such enormity leading to an evacuation of the entire city.
General:
Suggestions on what Canada needs to do in events of extreme weather conditions leading to natural disasters such as floods, wildfires, etc.
