A massive wildfire that has forced the evacuation of all 88,000 residents of the western Canadian city of Fort McMurray and burned down 1,600 structures has the potential to destroy much of the town, authorities said on Wednesday.
Fort McMurray had been largely emptied of its residents by Wednesday afternoon, officials said, despite fuel shortages, snarled traffic and a highway closed by the flames in the northeastern part of the province of Alberta, the heart of Canada's oil sands region.
So far there are no reports of fatalities, but crews had been unable to stop the wildfire, which has charred 18,500 acres (7,500 hectares) since it erupted on Sunday. Hot, dry winds forecast for later on Wednesday threatened to complicate matters.
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