Prime Minister Justin Trudeau got a first-hand view of the swath of destruction left by last week’s wildfire as he toured the devastated oil town of Fort McMurray in the western Canadian province of Alberta on Friday.
The fire, nicknamed “the beast,” has destroyed 2,400 homes and businesses, and forced over 90,000 residents of Fort McMurray and surrounding communities in Canada’s oil sands heartland to flee their homes.
Earlier Friday morning, Trudeau arrived in Edmonton and met with Fort McMurray Fire Chief Darby Allen, who led the fight against the fire, before heading to Fort McMurray, where he got a chance to fly over the city in a military helicopter.
Over Fort Mac today. We owe our gratitude to the firefighters who worked so hard to preserve and protect the city. pic.twitter.com/melJmMInmq
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) May 13, 2016
Melissa Blake, mayor of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, which includes Fort McMurray, said it was critical for Trudeau to tour the burned neighbourhoods.
“I’m personally very appreciative that he’s coming in to survey it firsthand, because once you see it, you know just how daunting the work will be, but how important it is to make it back to what it was before,” she said.
After his aerial tour, Trudeau spoke to 150 first responders outside the emergency operations centre in Fort McMurray.
With fire Chief Darby Allen, Premier @RachelNotley, and the heroes of #ymmfire. From all Canadians, thank you. pic.twitter.com/EtHuGiYbFW
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) May 13, 2016
“This was the extraordinary response by people such as yourself,” Trudeau said. “The work you did to save so much of this community, to save so much of this city and its downtown core … was unbelievable.”
“It is a reflection not just of your extraordinary capacities and training, but of your courage and your will.
“The incredibly long days, the backbreaking and sometimes heartbreaking work that you were doing, the extraordinary presence you had that reassured everyone watching, including the prime minister, that everything was being done here was just amazing.”
The fire itself, which is currently 2,400 square kilometres in size, has moved away from the city and is expected to burn in forested areas for many more weeks.
After the tour, Trudeau will travel to Edmonton to hold a news conference with Premier Rachel Notley, who is expected to press the prime minister for enhanced employment insurance benefits for the Edmonton area as a consequence of the wildfire.
Ottawa is already fast-tracking EI claims from displaced Fort McMurray workers.
With files from The Canadian Press and CBC News
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