Things Are Bigger In The Great White North
The CBC reports on Alberta’s largest wildfire on record, the Richardson Fire
The biggest wildfire Alberta firefighters have ever faced continues to rage out of control in the province’s northeast.
The Richardson backcountry fire, located about 60 kilometres [38 miles] north of Fort McMurray, started on May 15 — the same day as the Slave Lake wildfire that destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses.
The Richardson fire is now similar in size to Prince Edward Island, having scorched 570,000 hectares [1,409,000 acres 2201 miles²] of muskeg and bush.
Almost 700 firefighters battling the massive blaze were joined by 40 more, who arrived from Mexico Sunday night.
The Wallow Fire is 197,100 hectares.
Muskeg is a form of peat bog, so this will be a smoldering, slow growing fire that is hard to extinguish and extremely smokey.
