This is what a fire storm looks like

3930dave · May 7, 2016

Lots of really tired people fighting The Beast up there....

'I don't consider myself a hero': Fort McMurray firefighter - Calgary - CBC News

Let's see them all make it home safe !

I think there is one Martin Mars still flying, I read somewhere that one is there too.

Martin JRM Mars - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sounds like The Beast is nearing the Saskatchewan border.

Rgds, D.

Egon · May 8, 2016

There is a Mars on Vancouver Island. It is not in ft. Mac. Currently the Mars is not under contract.

dickfoster · May 8, 2016

mapper said:
Not too much fire fighters and air attacks can do on this one, I read this morning on CNN that it has jumped a river that is one kilometer wide.

Yeah I know. Around here airdrops and such are used mainly to protect population and structures, after that everyone prays for better weather and does rain dances. From what I understand about half of Fort McMurray itself has burned to the ground. Do they know how it began yet, manmade or natural? I think it started in close to town. I'm of the opinion that arsonist should be burned at the stake.

Gary Fowler · May 8, 2016

Looking4new said:
Quebec sent 4 of these.
CL-415 Canadair or Bombardier Water Bomber pick up and water drop - YouTube

I had the pleasure of watching one of those load up several times from Lake Gregoire (15 miles south of Ft. McMurray) while I was fishing the lake. They take on a load in just a few seconds.

Gary Fowler · May 8, 2016

I lived in Fort McMurray from 2000-2005 and still stay in touch with friends there. No communication in about a week though. The community I lived in (Beacon Hill) was reported to me from a local friend that it was 80% burned and that was about a week ago. Likely more now. I am very touched by the tragedy but am sure glad I am no longer there.
There was a large fire about half way between Edmonton and Fort Mac while I was living there that closed Hwy. 63 from Edmonton for about a week. We almost ran out of food in the stores before the road was opened up again. Everything in and out of Fort Mac has to come up Hwy 63 or by air.

ovrszd · May 8, 2016

I'm in Northwestern Missouri. Yesterday afternoon it started getting hazy here. We had a chance for some heavy thunderstorms so at first I just thought it was humidity. Within a few minutes it became obvious it wasn't humidity. If you breathed slowly thru your nose you could get a slight smell of pine smoke. Also left a slight burning in the back of your throat. Smoke from the Canada fire.

This pic is looking East from my shop. Just to the right of the birdhouse pole you can see a white building. That's a large machine shed a mile and a half away. Normally when looking this direction I can see 25 miles to a ridgeline across a rive valley.

This pic is looking North. You can see a white stripe in the center of the pic which is a gravel road going over a hill. Just to the right of it is a house and machine shed. They are a mile away.

bigtiller · May 8, 2016

We had plenty of smoke here in central Iowa also. Interstate 80 visibility was down to 1 mile in places yesterday morning. We stayed in the house and kept the doors shut until it cleared a little after lunch.

Sure hope they get some rain up there soon.

Ed of all trades · May 8, 2016

Was a firefighter for 10+ years and I can't even get my mind to come close to thinking of a fire that big. Those firefighters are going to take a while to just get over the ordeal of seeing what they have seen in this. Prayers sent for them and their families, and of course that the fire will go out. Ed

BKBoiss · May 8, 2016

I went through the slave lake Fire a few years ago so I have a good idea what it's like and it is absolutely brutal. This fire in ft Mac is so big that it jumped the Athabasca river that is over a kilometre wide. This fire is so big that it is creating its own weather and lightning storms, which is very rare. The biggest hope we have is if we get LOTS AND I MEAN LOTS of rain and if the wind can turn and blow the fire back on itself. The hardest part for me anyhow was not knowing when it was going to end and wether or not we still had a home to go back to. I made it back into town early the next morning after getting my wife and baby out. Two weeks after we were cleaning ash out of basements that was so hot you couldn't stand near the edge. One huge problem as well with Ft Mac is the wild fire fighting budget for Alberta was severely cut when it should have been added to making the firefighting personnel's jobs even harder. All the rest of us can do right now is help those that are evacuated and pray that the weather will turn in their favour soon.