Massive Alberta Wildfire Enters Saskatchewan

Fort McMurray wildfire is almost the size of Delaware

The massive forest fire that devastated Fort McMurray, Alta., has now crossed the border into Saskatchewan, said Canadian officials.

The ferocious fire had devoured 505,645 hectares of forest as of Thursday morning local time, and expanded east of the border, burning 771 hectares in Saskatchewan, according to fire officials.

The fire is said to be about 30km from the nearest village, La Loche.

The latest Canadian Wildland Fire Information System map indicates the Fort McMurray fire has entered Saskatchewan at two points. However, the Saskatchewan government insists the southern part is actually a brand new, 40-hectare fire, said a report.

“One of the new fires, which covers 40 hectares, started close to the Fort McMurray fire on the Saskatchewan-Alberta border sometime during the evening on May 18.”

51 Communities Evacuated amid Raging Wildfires in W. Canada

15,000 Residents ordered to evacuate their homes in Saskatchewan

At least 112 wildfires are burning through the northern region of Saskatchewan, forcing about 17,000 residents in 51 communities to evacuate.

“Saskatchewan’s Buffalo Narrows and La Ronge regions are the hottest wildfire spots at the moment, but there are also 10 uncontained blazes tearing through the province’s Prince Albert region, further to the south” said a report.

Fire Stats
Communities under full or partial evacuation orders: 51
Total number of residents evacuated or under evacuation orders: 17,000
Number of active wildfires (July 6, 2015) : 112
Number of active wildfires greater than 100 hectares: 56  (July 5, 2015)
Wildfires to date: 574 (compared with total of 184 to date in 2014, and seasonal total of 193 blazes)

Western Canada Disaster Watch

• Wildfires are also raging  in the rest of Western Canada, with B.C. and Alberta experiencing similar hot and dry conditions, said CTV News.
• Port Hardy, B.C. declared a state of emergency on Saturday as a wildfire forced the evacuation of 100 homes. The fire is one of 64 that are active across the province.
• There were also more than 120 wildfires burning across Alberta, with hundreds of northern residents put on evacuation alert.
• About 1,000 military personnel have been sent to help contain wildfires in Saskatchewan and assist evacuees relocation.

Heavy Snow Downs 15 percent of Forest Trees in Canadian District

Disaster Declared in Lakeland, Sask.

The District of Lakeland in the prairie province of Saskatchewan is declaring a state of disaster after heavy snowfall downed thousands of trees, an estimated 15 percent of the forest.

The storm left a path of destruction hundreds of kilometers long littering winter trails with fallen trees, said a report.

“I’ve been here almost 34 years and this is the deepest, heaviest snow I’ve ever seen and more so it’s broken down or bent more trees than ever before,” said the owner of Sundogs Excursions, who depends on the winter trails to run his business.

The Lakeland Reeve estimates that up to 15 percent of the forest’s trees have fallen, said the report.

The region was also impacted by heavy snow in early November.

Global Disasters/ Significant Events – 24 June 2013

Himalayan Tsunami Death Toll May Top 5,000

“At least 5,000 people must have been killed in the deluge that inflicted heavy damage on vast tracts of land especially in Kedarnath valley,” Disaster Management Minister Yashpal Arya told reporters on his return from an aerial survey of the disaster areas.

The official death toll had climbed to 680 as of June 22, and the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand has said that the death toll would likely be around 1,000, said a report.

Official forecasters have issued various warnings concerning adverse weather in the disaster area starting today, June 24, including heavy rain to last until June 30.

At least 19,000 are still stranded in three areas, while 83,000 others have been rescued, according to reports.

At least two major landslides and numerous mudslides have been reported in the disaster zone.

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1,000 residents flee, as State of Emergency declared in Siksika Nations

Raging waters from the Bow River have devastated the Siksika Nation, forcing a least 1,000 people from homes.

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State of Emergency declared in Houston County, Minnesota

Authorities have declared a  state of emergency in Houston County, Minnesota, due to losses and damage caused by a storm.

Large swathes of southeastern Minnesota have been hit hard from flash flooding over the weekend, but storm damage  across Houston county is said to be extensive,  a state of emergency declaration.

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Deluge forces Manitoba community to declare state of emergency

“Environment Canada said radar indicated accumulations of 100 mm hovering above that area when the system hit,” said a report.

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Winnipegosis declares a state of emergency due to flooding

The Village of Winnipegosis has declared a state of emergency, making it the third rain-soaked part of Manitoba to be dealing with overland flooding.

“A lot of the land here looked like [a] lake. The water, the ditches began to overflow, and consequently the water was rising up around homes,” said a local resident.

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States of Emergency in Crawford and Grant Counties, Wisconsin

Crawford and Grant counties in the southwestern corner of Wisconsin have declared states of emergency due to water damage.

“Crawford County had flooding and multiple mudslides that closed several roads and forced evacuation of a number of homes. In Grant County, roadways were flooded along with an unspecified number of homes.”

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Saskatchewan, Canada: Cumberland House declares state of emergency

Cumberland House declared a state of emergency, as authorizes started  evacuations of  the Village of Cumberland House and the Cumberland House Cree Nation, a total of more than 2,200, as rising floodwater in Alberta threatened to move into the prairie province, said a report.

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Town of Devon remains under a state of emergency,  2,200 people evacuated

The Devon Lions Campground and Voyageur Park have been evacuated. More than 2,000 people were forced to leave the campground.

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