Government leaders in Canada declare they have saved most of the city of Fort McMurray from the devastating wildfire that destroyed hundreds of homes in Canada’s oil sands city.
An estimated 2,400 homes were destroyed but according to the Associated Press, another 25,000 others were saved including the city’s hospital, municipal buildings and every functioning school.
“This city was surrounded by an ocean of fire only a few days ago but Fort McMurray and the surrounding communities have been saved and they will be rebuilt,” declared Alberta Premier Rachel Notley.
A meeting was planned this week with the energy industry to discuss the state of their facilities and the impact of the monster fire on the operations. A third of Canada’s oil output was forced offline and expected to affect the national economy.
“We’re just beginning to become aware of the economic impacts,” states Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Nearly 88,000 people had to be evacuated from the Fort McMurray metro area and it could be weeks before many can return to their homes, if they still have homes.
Since Alberta’s oil sands have the third-largest reserves of oil in the world, most of the workers live in Fort McMurray. Analysts believe the fire reduced the nation’s oil sands production by a million barrels a day. However, the fire apparently did not cause significant damage to the oil mines, thereby allowing for a quick recovery to operations and production. What could cause a slower recovery is the return of workers who had to be evacuated.