Wildfires prompt evacuations of northern Alberta oilsands sites, remote community of Chipewyan Lake

Out-of-control wildfires blazing in northern Alberta have prompted evacuations of workers from oilsands sites, as well as residents of a remote community.

On Thursday night, an evacuation order was issued for Chipewyan Lake in the Municipal District of Opportunity. The alert states there is an out of control wildfire east of Chipewyan Lake heading toward the community, and the fire threatens the only route in and out.

Residents are being told to register at the reception centre at the Wabasca Lakeview Sports Centre, located at 102 Opportunity Drive, where accommodations will be arranged.

MEG Energy Corp. said late Wednesday evening that it is evacuating non-essential personnel from its Christina Lake oilsands site, while Imperial Oil Ltd. confirmed in an email Thursday that it has begun reducing the number of non-essential workers at its Kearl oilsands mine.

Both companies said there have been no direct impacts to their sites and the moves are precautionary.

"Our first operating priority is to care for ourselves and all others," said MEG CEO Darlene Gates in a news release, adding production at the company's Christina Lake site continues as normal.

"Our focus is to minimize and mitigate any potential impact on our people and our operations."

MEG's Christina Lake site is located about 150 kilometres south of Fort McMurray in northeast Alberta, while Imperial's Kearl site is located 70 kilometres north of Fort McMurray.

MEG's Christina Lake site has a current production capacity of about 110,000 barrels of oil per day, while Kearl has a production capacity of 220,000 barrels per day.

Wildfire threat impacts oil prices

There are several wildfires currently burning in the Fort McMurray area, and Alberta Wildfire classifies the current wildfire danger in the area as "extreme."

As of Thursday, there were 133 active wildfires in Alberta. 

Since the start of the year there have been 88 wildfires in the Fort McMurray Forest Area, burning a total of about 151,077 hectares.

Two weeks ago, Suncor Energy Inc. — Canada's second-largest oilsands producer by volume — evacuated non-essential personnel and curtailed production at its Firebag oilsands site north of Fort McMurray.

The company has not disclosed how much production has been taken offline. In the first quarter of 2024, before the curtailment, Firebag produced 229,000 barrels of oil per day.

The fires and the threat they pose to oilsands production have helped to boost Canadian oil prices this week. Western Canada Select heavy crude was up $1.73 or 2.63 per cent on Wednesday.