Alberta, Canada: A massive wildfire in western Canada that has been burning for five days is spreading. Canadian officials say the fire could burn more than 200,000 hectares of land by the end of Saturday.
The fire broke out on the outskirts of Fort McMurray in the province of Alberta on Sunday. It has burnt down about 1,600 structures and forced more than 80,000 people to evacuate. No deaths or injuries have been reported.
Winds changed directions on Friday, pushing the blaze away from residential areas. But the fire continues to spread through nearby forests.
Local officials say there has been no significant rain in the area in the last two months.
They say the fire could double in size by the end of Saturday. Rain is forecast for Sunday.
There are many oil sands facilities near the burn site. The fire has forced operations to be suspended or scaled back, as workers have been evacuated.
Financial analysts say the fire has cut Canada's crude oil production by about 1 million barrels, one-third of the total output per day.
QNA
