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Canada oil sands producers disrupted anew as wildfire shifts north

Published 2016-05-17, 08:42 a/m
© Reuters. Canada oil sands producers disrupted anew as wildfire shifts north
SU
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May 17 (Reuters) - Canadian energy producers were hit with
fresh disruptions on Tuesday after a massive wildfire burning
around the oil sands hub of Fort McMurray, Alberta, shifted
north, forcing the evacuation of about 4,000 people from work
camps.
Suncor Energy Inc SU.TO , one of the area's biggest
operators, said early Tuesday that it started a staged and
orderly shutdown of its base plant operations as a precautionary
measure.
Suncor said there had been no damage to its assets and that
it had enhanced fire protection around the facilities.
Suncor and Syncrude Canada late Monday confirmed they had
evacuated workers from the affected area.
The sudden movement of the fire prompted the evacuation of
some 4,000 people from work camps outside Fort McMurray, with
all northbound traffic again cut off at the city, the Regional
Municipality of Wood Buffalo said on Monday.
The entire population of Fort McMurray, about 90,000 people,
was forced to flee nearly two weeks ago as the uncontrolled
wildfire raged through some neighborhoods and destroyed about 15
percent of structures.
On Monday, the blaze continued to burn uncontrolled,
covering 285,000 hectares (704,000 acres), officials said. By
Monday evening it was moving 30 to 40 meters (98 to 131 feet)
per minute and had jumped a critical firebreak north of the city
to push into the oil sand camp areas.
Roughly a million barrels per day of oil sands crude
production was shut down as a precaution and because of
disruptions to regional pipelines. Much of that production
remains offline.
Firefighters have managed to protect much of Fort McMurray
but evacuated residents have not been allowed to return to their
homes, partly because of hot spots around the community.

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