Fort McMurray Is On Fire and It Looks Like the End of the World

People across Canada are connected to the oil town of Fort McMurray, in northern Alberta, perhaps because a parent, or a cousin, went there to make money in the work camps.

Maybe that's why watching Fort McMurray go up in flames on Tuesday night—the result of an out-of-control wildfire that has prompted the largest mass fire evacuation in Alberta's history—felt so personal to so many, even those who weren't close by.

The terror played out on social media as the wildfire, which had been burning for longer than a day nearby, took a turn for the worse and began encroaching on the town. Unverified photos posted to Twitter on Tuesday afternoon show flames licking the sky just on the other side of homes in a Fort McMurray neighbourhood.

Omg Fort McMurray #ymmfire pic.twitter.com/RtQthRdmGD
— Canadian Home Grown (@mary_sexsmith) May 3, 2016

At roughly 7 PM, the town's 80,000 residents were asked to evacuate, premier Rachel Notley said on Tuesday. Even the hospital was emptied. The fire has reportedly consumed some homes—as many as 80 percent in some neighbourhoods—amounting to substantial personal losses, but somewhat incredibly, no injuries have been reported so far.

Personal stories began flooding in as people evacuated, a hairy flight that unverified photos on Twitter depict as a dash down roads with apocalyptic flames towering on both sides, as the trees burned and ash rained down from the sky.

A pic of what trying to leave Fort McMurray looks like right now pic.twitter.com/ESE7bzPkx1
— chester (@ccccrystal__) May 4, 2016

While some residents fled south to Edmonton, according to the CBC, others have gone north, towards work camps that opened their doors to evacuees. Two babies were born in a work camp near Fort McMurray, which made itself available. The CBC reports that Noralta, a company that houses workers in the area, has opened three of its camps to evacuees. Two were said to be full as of Wednesday morning.

Crews were chopping down unburnt trees to starve the fire, the Canadian Press reported, and aircraft were bombing the area with fire retardant and water. Fire Chief Darby Allen also stated that the army and air force will begin dispatching troops to the area in the coming days.

It's not clear what started the blaze, but it is still burning. According to the Canadian Press, firefighters are working to maintain the only bridge over the Athabasca River and the only highway that leads into the city from the south.

The situation in Fort McMurray is developing, although it's expected to worsen on Wednesday, with dry conditions and strong winds in the forecast.