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Those photos are nothing compared to some of the firsthand videos: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=fort+mcmurray++dash+cam https://www.youtube.com

Those photos are nothing compared to some of the firsthand videos: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=fort+mcmurray++dash+cam https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=fort+mcmurray++... It's honestly like something straight out of an apocalypse movie. Horrifying.

pyre 10y ago
It's what it's like when forest fires engulf a community. Here's a couple others: - http://s1.webmshare.com/m7gd8.webm http://s1.webmshare.com/m7gd8.webm Russia 2015(?) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPpOXH0ADSg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPpOXH0ADSg Australia 2003
arcticfox 10y ago
Wow...horrifying indeed :( For some reason, I found these front-yard bushes casually on fire some of the most dramatic images: https://youtu.be/PCc1FvZ3g0Q?t=134 https://youtu.be/PCc1FvZ3g0Q?t=134 Probably because that side of the street looks relatively normal except for, you know, that well groomed plant is on fire.
- tremon 10y ago
  Yes, it's also what stuck out to me. As he drives away, you can see the fire consume the entire bush (looked like a fallen down tree to me?) and develop into a five-meter long torch.
fraXis 10y ago
This is a video of the fire actually overtaking the inside of a fleeing resident's house. It was caught on his home security camera. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/fort-mcmurray-man-watches-his-home-burn-on-security-cam-1.3570690 http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/fort-mcmurray-man-wat...
giarc 10y ago
I live in Alberta (Calgary) so have obviously been following this closely. Two things stand out in the videos. 1. People are still very courteous while evacuating. I imagined it would be people driving across lawns and through parks. Instead most people are driving on the proper side of the street and letting others in. 2. We shouldn't take forest fires for granted and we should evacuate earlier. Tuesday morning this fire was a non story, then without warning people are driving down their street with 60m flames on the sidewalk. And not just a few hold outs, majority of the population came very close to injury or death. Fort McMurray has basically one way in and out (Hwy 63). If it had been blocked in both directors, this would be a much different story.
- abrookewood 10y ago
  In regard to point 1, I think people were TOO courteous. Seriously, everyone is evacuating and heading in the same direction, so drive on BOTH sides of the road. In some of the videos I've seen, I'm really surprised that people didn't get trapped and die because the orderly evacuation that only uses half the possible road bandwidth.
  - howlingfantods 10y ago
    Emergency vehicles need to go the other way.
    - Ma8ee 10y ago
      And people driving to pick up e.g. grandma, who can't drive, at her house.
    - abrookewood 10y ago
      Fair point.
  - Teever 10y ago
    As there were only two fatalities in the entire evacuation of nearly 80,000 people I think your assertion that people were "TOO courteous" is incorrect. They were as curteous as needed to ensure a timely evacuation with a minimum of loss of life. If someone had started being 'less courteous' chaos would have broken out and many more would have died. As much as I hate the cliched phrase it would appear that 'keep calm and carry on' was the prudent thing to do in this situation.
    - abrookewood 10y ago
      You're probably right. I'm guessing my fear at being confronted by that situation would have led me to behave inappropriately. It's like being stuck in the slow lane, but the consequences aren't being late to work, they consequences are your entire family dying in the car beside you. I can't imagine how horrible that must have been for everyone involved.
mig39 10y ago
Fort McMurray evacuee here. One of those Youtube videos is from me. It was indeed apocalyptic to drive through the fire. Watching buildings burning as a fire raged on both sides of the car. Trying to reassure my kids that everything was going to be fine. We're at a camp in Wandering River now, but unsure of the future.
Pyxl101 10y ago
Some of the fires in those videos have a strange purplish or blue glow at their edges. Is that flame burning outside the visible spectrum and can it be seen with the naked eye? Example: https://youtu.be/Fym6X-JvEOs?t=1m8s https://youtu.be/Fym6X-JvEOs?t=1m8s Or just an artifact of the recording technology? If it's burning outside the visible spectrum, and the same part isn't also emitting visible light too, then that's really scary - it would mean that every time you see a fire like that, it's actually considerably larger than it seems. I am curious whether you could see hydrogen burning on a camera like these dashcams. Edit: This is absolutely crazy. What is going on in this video? https://youtu.be/Fym6X-JvEOs?t=1m59s https://youtu.be/Fym6X-JvEOs?t=1m59s
- elijahparker 10y ago
  I would say it's just the auto white balance on the camera trying to deal with an unnaturally warm (color temp) scene by adding blue. Not sure what kind of street lights they have there, but they are also bluish which would imply the WB is significantly off

pyre 10y ago

It's what it's like when forest fires engulf a community. Here's a couple others: - http://s1.webmshare.com/m7gd8.webm http://s1.webmshare.com/m7gd8.webm Russia 2015(?) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPpOXH0ADSg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPpOXH0ADSg Australia 2003

arcticfox 10y ago

Wow...horrifying indeed :( For some reason, I found these front-yard bushes casually on fire some of the most dramatic images: https://youtu.be/PCc1FvZ3g0Q?t=134 https://youtu.be/PCc1FvZ3g0Q?t=134 Probably because that side of the street looks relatively normal except for, you know, that well groomed plant is on fire.

tremon 10y ago
Yes, it's also what stuck out to me. As he drives away, you can see the fire consume the entire bush (looked like a fallen down tree to me?) and develop into a five-meter long torch.

fraXis 10y ago

This is a video of the fire actually overtaking the inside of a fleeing resident's house. It was caught on his home security camera. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/fort-mcmurray-man-watches-his-home-burn-on-security-cam-1.3570690 http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/fort-mcmurray-man-wat...

giarc 10y ago

I live in Alberta (Calgary) so have obviously been following this closely. Two things stand out in the videos. 1. People are still very courteous while evacuating. I imagined it would be people driving across lawns and through parks. Instead most people are driving on the proper side of the street and letting others in. 2. We shouldn't take forest fires for granted and we should evacuate earlier. Tuesday morning this fire was a non story, then without warning people are driving down their street with 60m flames on the sidewalk. And not just a few hold outs, majority of the population came very close to injury or death. Fort McMurray has basically one way in and out (Hwy 63). If it had been blocked in both directors, this would be a much different story.

abrookewood 10y ago
In regard to point 1, I think people were TOO courteous. Seriously, everyone is evacuating and heading in the same direction, so drive on BOTH sides of the road. In some of the videos I've seen, I'm really surprised that people didn't get trapped and die because the orderly evacuation that only uses half the possible road bandwidth.
- howlingfantods 10y ago
  Emergency vehicles need to go the other way.
  - Ma8ee 10y ago
    And people driving to pick up e.g. grandma, who can't drive, at her house.
  - abrookewood 10y ago
    Fair point.
- Teever 10y ago
  As there were only two fatalities in the entire evacuation of nearly 80,000 people I think your assertion that people were "TOO courteous" is incorrect. They were as curteous as needed to ensure a timely evacuation with a minimum of loss of life. If someone had started being 'less courteous' chaos would have broken out and many more would have died. As much as I hate the cliched phrase it would appear that 'keep calm and carry on' was the prudent thing to do in this situation.
  - abrookewood 10y ago
    You're probably right. I'm guessing my fear at being confronted by that situation would have led me to behave inappropriately. It's like being stuck in the slow lane, but the consequences aren't being late to work, they consequences are your entire family dying in the car beside you. I can't imagine how horrible that must have been for everyone involved.

mig39 10y ago

Fort McMurray evacuee here. One of those Youtube videos is from me. It was indeed apocalyptic to drive through the fire. Watching buildings burning as a fire raged on both sides of the car. Trying to reassure my kids that everything was going to be fine. We're at a camp in Wandering River now, but unsure of the future.

Pyxl101 10y ago

Some of the fires in those videos have a strange purplish or blue glow at their edges. Is that flame burning outside the visible spectrum and can it be seen with the naked eye? Example: https://youtu.be/Fym6X-JvEOs?t=1m8s https://youtu.be/Fym6X-JvEOs?t=1m8s Or just an artifact of the recording technology? If it's burning outside the visible spectrum, and the same part isn't also emitting visible light too, then that's really scary - it would mean that every time you see a fire like that, it's actually considerably larger than it seems. I am curious whether you could see hydrogen burning on a camera like these dashcams. Edit: This is absolutely crazy. What is going on in this video? https://youtu.be/Fym6X-JvEOs?t=1m59s https://youtu.be/Fym6X-JvEOs?t=1m59s

elijahparker 10y ago
I would say it's just the auto white balance on the camera trying to deal with an unnaturally warm (color temp) scene by adding blue. Not sure what kind of street lights they have there, but they are also bluish which would imply the WB is significantly off