From the Guardian:
Several energy companies have suspended oil operations and evacuated non-essential staff from northeastern Alberta as nearly 20 wildfires rage out of control in the remote rural region. At least 233,000 barrels per day of oil sands production, 9% of Alberta’s total oil sands output, has been suspended in Alberta’s northeast because of the fire risk.
Several small towns threatened by fires have been evacuated in other parts of the province.
MEG Energy Inc said on Tuesday it was suspending operations at its 80,000-barrel-per-day Christina Lake oil sands project and evacuated non-essential staff.
Bank of America Merrill Lynch warned in a research report that the decreased production from the fires could affect economic growth.
“If wildfire disruptions persist through the rest of May, and activity gradually picks up in June, we estimate a 0.1% to 0.3% hit to [second-quarter] annualized GDP growth,” Emanuella Enenajor, the bank’s Canada and US economist wrote. But she warned that the estimate was uncertain and the impact would depend on how long it took to return production to normal levels.
The province of Alberta reported today that recent fires have burned 29,000 hectares (71,000 acres). Resources committed to the fires include 79 crews, 660 personnel, 3 air tankers, 56 helicopters, and 36 dozers.
