Terrible, destructive fire that has been happening near Alberta. some of the first news photos coming from the aftermath are here

http://mobile.nytimes.com/slideshow/2016/05/06/world/americas/inside-the-scorch-zone/s/20160507-CANADA-slide-FHER.html

Is that shell of a car a 123?

A real human and animal tragedy. Yes, that is a 123. May God bless and be with the people and animals of Alberta.

Yes it's been on the news pretty much 24 hrs a day and with only 1 road the escape has been to drive the highway with fires on both sides. Tankers are bringing in fuel to get the many fuel starved vechiles off the escape route. The newly displaced homeless are traveling 8 hours to find accommodations many coming to Calgary. Our spring came in 6-7 weeks earlier than normal with no perception.

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92 e300d2.5t
01 e320
05 cdi
85 chev c10

85,000 hectares burnt. The largest ever evacuation in Canadian history. Lots of amazing stories...not one single life lost. God bless the efforts of the responders.


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1987 300TD
1984 300D
755,000 KM and going strong
BC Canada

Must be a hard-core diesel guy to keep one in northern Canada, though it has been hotter there this May than sunny CA.

Too bad someone couldn't have driven it away. They said people were hitching rides, so there were extra drivers available. But, no time to plan and where are the keys? Same deal in New Orleans. School buses sat that could have been used to move many of the people stuck in the stadium north where there were services.

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1984 & 1985 CA 300D's
1964 & 65 Mopar's - Valiant, Dart, Newport
1996 & 2002 Chrysler minivans

Unfortunately the sequence of events meant that many people had to leave immediately from workplaces, schools or whatever they were doing. Many of them showing up at the evacuation centres only have their vehicle registration to prove their identity (insurance companies have set up emergency claims centres in the evac areas).

As an illustration of the incredible speed at which the fire approached the city, Google for the time-lapse video of the NavCan airport tower camera. At 7:30 a.m. there is a plume of smoke in the distance. By 11:30 visibility is down to near zero. At noon the camera went off line. (Going from memory on the times but you get the idea.)

Part of the problem was that, as one newspaper points out today, the fire crews who had to battle the fire for the first 4-6 hours were solely municipal and had to rely on city hydrants. Unfortunately, no one designs city hydrant systems to provide water from a huge number of hydrants at once, so they had water pressure and supply issues. It's a miracle that no first responders lost their lives in that losing battle. It took hours to get the oil companies' heavy fire equipment down into Fort Mac and additional units and fire officers in from other cities.

No doubt you have seen this video on your local newscasts, but if you haven't, it's surreal: Fort McMurray wildfire evacuee's video captures his harrowing escape - Edmonton - CBC News

I am in awe of the incredible discipline and courage the people showed in that lineup of vehicles, given they were driving through what looks like hell. I have seen people behave worse around here during the holiday rush in parking lots.

Many of the vehicles that evacuated apparently have the paint on one side burned. That was how close and how hot the fire was to them on the roads.

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Mac
2002 e320 4matic estate│1985 300d│1980 300td
Previous: 1979 & 1982 & 1983 300sd │ 1982 240d

“Let's take a drive into the middle of nowhere with a packet of Marlboro lights and talk about our lives.” ― Joseph Heller, Catch-22

I feel for those folks.

tools of mass destruction

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Jim