ALberta wildfire. Flashcards
where is Alberta?
- 4th largest province in Canada
- situated on Western Canada
- est pop pf 4.3 million
- capital city is Edmonton
when did the wild fires start
1st april 2016
Where were the first fires spotted and by who?
fire was 1st spotted in a reomte area of boreal forest by a forestry crew in a helicopter. !st responders arrived 45 mins later
how many residents had to evacuate and how many homes and buildings were destroyed?
90k residents evacuate
2.4k homes + buildings damaged.
what was the nickname given to the wildfire? why?
The beast –> bc it was v v diffucult to fight, it forced a large pop out of the city and it spread quickly across river to other parts of town
was anybody killed?
no one was killed as a direct impact of the fires. However it did kill 6million Ha of land
how much land was destroyed in Ha?
6million Ha of land burned
what caused the fires?
There is no official cause of the fire, however its liely it was human caused. The fire ws initially controlled but a shift in wind direction meant that the controlled fire spread to the outskirts of Fort McMurray.
During the start of the fire, unusually hot dry air mass was placed above alberta. The lack of snowfall and early snowmelt also combined with the drier/warmer conditions caused ground to dry out. The high temperatures resulted in vegetation drying out –> prefect fuel source, also meant that fire could spread rapidly. The intensity of the wildfire created its own weather system -> lightning –> ignited more dry leaves + veg –> more fires. (+ve feedback).
some attribute the fires as a result of climate change, as there have been more wildfires as weel as increased global temperatures.
what are some environmental impacts of alberta wildfires?
- The intensity if the fire severly affected the boreal forest ecosystem –> scorched tree roots and soils. (Threw dynamic equilibrium out)
- The dry scorched peaty soils could reignite at anytime until there was heavy rainfall–> still athreat + vulnerable to damage
- FIre released tonnes of CO2 trapped in vegetation, increased carbon emissions –> enhanced GH effect( link to carbon cycle - out of dynamic equilibrium)
- Toxins released from trees + leaves and buildings (ie mercury, leaf) etc pollute the air –> resp problems
- decreased the O2 content in the air.
- Ash was washed into the watercourse after heacvy rain –> contaminated waters for fish _ other aqautic life
- -> Huge quantities of waster _ debris from the fire had to be disposed of
what are some social impacts of alberta wildfires?
- 90k ppl had to flee Fort Mc Murray –> slowed income, caused stress about belongings left behind(some ppl thought homes were still standing when they weren’t)
- 2400 homes + buildings destroyed + burnt down.
- Jobs + livelihoods affected bc businesses burnt down - movement was also restricuted in the area so diff 2 check
- increased levels of anxiety in population –> many unsure about their jobs, also worrrried fires could become more frequent w/ climate change
- Water supplies contaminated as untreated water from sea was deliberatly introduced to municpialities to help control fires.
- Doctors and nurses had to move 105 patients into buses which were transported to oil sands site away from the fires in the N of the city , where they would be transproted to other hospitals by air.
- There were only 2 main ways of evacuating –> from the south towards the fire, or the north which could be dangerous if the fire spread upwards.
what are some economic impacts of alberta wildfires?
- est that CAN$9bn of damage was done in Fort McMurray.
- 1/3rd of 25k workers in the oil sands industry had to be evacuated from work camos
- Production halted in industries –> low- no income bc nothing to manufacture and thus taxes couldnt be paid properly.
- Cost the Oil sands industry >$1bn and 600 work campes in the oil sands area were destroyed
what are some political impacts of alberta wildfires?
- The fire fired up a political discussion about climate change, and the increasedc vulnerabiity if temps do increase and fires do continue to occur. .
- the Alberta govt oversaw a safe and phased reentry into the town to see that everyone got back safely + quickly.
- rebuilding of burnt biuildings and trying to harvest + fix forest floor so that it grows to grows again so sufficient co2 can be taken up again.
what are some characteristics of the fire?
very explosive
Uncontrollable –> resisting methods to control + engage with it
Resisted all fire suppression methods
Grew from 1,200 HA to >222000 Ha –> so big it was visible from space , so hot it generated its own weather system.
WHat were some inital responses?
monitoring the newly ignified fire using ground and satelitte data.Meteorlogical info was used to forcast which dierction fire would go –< lead to warnings being issued and thus safe + efficient evacuation + stabilisation of the emergency services.
The evacuation of 90k ppl prevented the deaths and injuries that would be sustained @ alrge scale
How did the albertan govt help w/ the response.
Declared a state of emergyecy –> triggered support form the Canadian Armed forces. Hellys, and bombers and firefighters brought in from states + other countries ie AUS, RUS, USA
ALbertan govt supported evacuees by providing $1250.adult and $599 /child –> help cover living expenses.
