Thursday, May 05, 2016

Wildfire Evacuee's Video Captures His Harrowing Escape

The wildfires raging through the Canadian province of Alberta have grown into a behemoth blaze that has consumed an area bigger than New York City.It has now scorched 85,000 hectares — 328 square miles — Alberta provincial premier Rachel Notley said Thursday. By comparison, all five boroughs of New York City add up to just 304.6 square miles. 

Among the dozens of videos and photos that have emerged from the Fort McMurray, Alta., fire, one that gives a view of how close some people have come to the smoke and flames is particularly shocking.

Beacon Hill evacuee Michel Chamberland's video captures him fleeing the fire. Beacon Hill is one of the worst-hit communities, with about 70 per cent of the homes and buildings destroyed in the growing wildfire.

Chamberland said he returned home Tuesday morning from his overnight shift at an oil company, slept for a few hours, then got a call from his friend at around 2 p.m. MT telling him that his neighbourhood was being evacuated.

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