Alberta Forestry’s wildfire experts are at the mercy of the weather when forest fires burn out of control. The Fort McMurray blaze that at first seemed manageable turned into a raging inferno bearing down on the city in less than an hour. Here’s a rundown of how a destructive fire wound its way into northern Alberta’s largest municipality, and the events that followed. 4 p.m. Sunday, May 1 When the wildfire that would eventually engulf Fort McMurray was discovered by fire crews on patrol Sunday afternoon. It was just two hectares in size. They immediately jumped on the blaze. Within a couple of hours, four air tankers had also been deployed. Despite their best efforts, by 6...
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