Boilermakers Lodge 146
Boilermakers Lodge 146

Update on Fire and Operations in Wood Buffalo Region – May 17, 2016

  • Posted on May 17, 2016
  •  

Update: 12:15 p.m. May 17, 2016

 

Fire situation:

  • West section of the fire crossed AOSTRA Road. It is currently located west of Highway 63 and west of our Base Plant operations.
  • The north east section of the fire is expected to move east due to wind direction, therefore we expect the risk to Firebag to decrease.
  • Weather continues to be an issue with low humidity and high temperatures in the mid-twenties.

 

Status of personnel: Base Plant, Firebag, MacKay River, East Tank Farm & Pipelines

  • All personnel for Base Plant and MacKay River will be taken out of the region with the exception of a minimum number of Emergency Response and Security workers required to close our operations at Base Plant. Plans are in place for their relocation.
  • Firebag will move to a minimum number of essential personnel. The remaining non-essential personnel will be taken out of the region.

 

Status of personnel: Fort Hills

  • All Fort Hills personnel currently at site will remain at site today. Plans are being developed to shift change existing staff.
  • Flights scheduled to fly workers in to Fort Hills on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday have been canceled until further notice and will be rescheduled when appropriate.
  • The situation in the region continues to be closely monitored and plans are in place to safely and quickly evacuate personnel if needed.

 

Status of Operations: Base Plant, Firebag and MacKay River

  • Completed an orderly shutdown of operations at MacKay River and Base Plant, including East Tank Farm
  • Firebag currently shutdown and on hot standby.

 

Status of Operations: Fort Hills

  • Fort Hills is currently at low fire risk
  • Fort Hills continues to conduct operations activities and construction planning

 

Travel:

  • Flights will continue to transport people out of the region.
  • Bussing and out-bound flight schedules are currently being developed. We appreciate workers’ patience as we work through the logistics of relocating workers.
  • Travel on Highway 63 is restricted. The highway is reportedly closed at both the Suncor interchange and the Parsons Creek interchange. Driving personal vehicles out of the region is currently not recommended. Convoys to bus personnel out of the region are being controlled by the RCMP.