Rain helps stall wildfire near Canadian oil city
STORY: A few hours of rain on Thursday brought relief to Canadian fire crews, battling a colossal wildfire near the oil-producing hub of Fort McMurray, Alberta.
Officials say the fire, which prompted thousands of evacuations, stayed at the city outskirts beyond the containment line.
This was just one of over 40 wildfires deemed out of control in the province, as Western Canada entered its wildfire season, forests tinder-dry due to unseasonably warm temperatures and an ongoing drought.
An evacuation order for Fort McMurray residents is expected to remain in place until early next week.
Some, such as evacuee Diane Tremblay, are haunted by a devastating fire that hit the town eight years ago, which burned down 2,400 buildings and remains the costliest natural disaster by insurance claims in Canadian history.
"Anything to do with the fire, I get upset because I don't know if I'm going to survive it or not. I lost everything in 2016, and I had to start over... And I'm always packed. My truck is always packed."
Wildfire season typically runs from April until October, when cooler temperatures and rain help dampen blazes.
There are no reports yet of fire-related disruption to Alberta oil and gas production.
But research firm Rystad Energy says if the wildfires in Alberta and British Columbia worsen, they could - in the worst-case scenario - impact over half of Canada's oil sands output, slashing up to 2.1 million barrels per day.
