Wildfire in Fort McMurray and the aftermath

The hellish wildfires which presumably started on May 1, 2016 are now hopefully over.  There was some fear that the blazes would spread to Saskatchwan, but it seem they were either contained or died out by May 9th.

From Wikipedia (May10)
On May 1, 2016, a wildfire began 
southwest of Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. On May 3, it swept through the community, destroying more than 2,400 homes and buildings and forcing the largest wildfire evacuation in Alberta's history.[5] The fire continues to spread across northeast Alberta, and has impacted Canada's oil sand operations.[6] The wildfire may become the most costly disaster in Canadian history.[7]....

Rick McConnell at CBC  (May 10)
Fort McMurray is 'still alive,' fire chief says — but safety concerns linger
'This is rewriting the book on the way a fire moves, on the way a fire behaves,' Darby Allen says
On the eastern bank of the Clearwater River, the battle to save downtown Fort McMurray raged for 12 solid hours.

In the end, the wildfire burned to the water's edge. And there, firefighters won perhaps their most significant victory in a long and heartbreaking campaign to save as much as possible of Alberta's oilsands city.

"The fire was stopped there," Fire Chief Darby Allen said, as he pointed to the charred trees on the steep riverbank during a tour through the city on Monday afternoon. "If that fire had got down into the downtown, we would have lost the downtown."......

Lauren O'Neil at CBC  (May 8)
Fort McMurray evacuees share stories  of the wildfire's devastating impact
Residents of the northern Alberta community tell stories of pain, loss and hope

If your house caught fire and you could save only one thing, what would it be?

It's a question most of us have been asked at one point or another – one so common that entire books have been filled with answers to it.

Hypothetically, the choice is a tough one. In reality, you may not get a choice at all.

More than 80,000 Canadians were forced to leave their homes and belongings behind last week as wildfire spread to Fort McMurray, Alta. and surrounding areas.
With as little as minutes to prepare to leave their homes, residents fled without hesitation when a mandatory evacuation order was issued on Tuesday – but many still don't know what will be left of their houses, jobs and already-struggling community when they return.

The wildfire has already destroyed more than 1,600 homes and buildings by the most-recent estimates, and conditions remain extreme despite incredible efforts to combat it. .......

Peter Mills at CBC  (May 8)
Smoke biggest concern as Alberta wildfires creep toward Saskatchewan
Smaller fire in Alberta about 20 kilometres away from the Saskatchewan border

Saskatchewan fire officials provided some good news for the province on Sunday, saying the wildfires in Alberta have not made it over the border this weekend.

However, active fires in the province, smoke from Alberta, and the hot and dry weather continues to be worrisome.

Officials say there are 12 wildfires currently burning in Saskatchewan, and all but two of them are considered contained....