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Wildfire as an increasingly common natural disaster facing Canada: understanding the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire

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Abstract

On May 3, 2016, a wildfire swept into the city of Fort McMurray, Alberta. This natural disaster was significant in both its scale and impact, as the fire prompted a sudden onset evacuation of 88,000 persons. As we reflect on the 150th Commemoration of Canada’s confederation, this 2016 natural disaster ranks as Canada’s most costly disaster. The fire resulted in over $3.5 billion in insured losses. Approximately 2400 buildings were destroyed. In looking towards the future, climate change impacts are expected to cause wildfires that will be progressively worse. This paper explores the Fort McMurray wildfire through the lens of the four pillars of emergency management: response, recovery, mitigation, and preparedness. By exploring aspects of Canada’s most recent mass evacuation, the country can better ready itself for a future where fire will be one of the primary natural disasters reshaping Canadian landscapes.

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Source: Canadian Press Staff 2016

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Notes

  1. Research for this paper included a visit to Fort McMurray by the co-authors in May 2017, to coincide with the one-year anniversary of the wildfire. A number of regional stakeholders and community members were interviewed. In addition to this field visit, research consisted of document analysis of publicly available sources, including official reports, government websites, media coverage, statistical information and others, spanning the duration of May 2016 to 2018.

  2. This paper has been purposely developed using the commonly adopted framework of the four phases of comprehensive emergency management: Mitigation, Preparedness, Response and Recovery. Some jurisdictions in Canada as well as the USA have adopted the five phases or five pillars approach (see for instance Region of Peel n.d.). This approach divides the mitigation phase of the four phases approach into mitigation and prevention. Mitigation in the five phases approach refers to structural and non-structural measures taken to limit the impacts of disasters, and Prevention refers to additional preventative measures, such as the development of plans, standards, and by-laws. A five-phase approach is also adopted in the National Preparedness Goal established for the United States Department of Homeland Security (U.S. Department of Homeland Security 2011). Here, in addition to response, recovery, and mitigation, which remain similar, two additional phases are used in lieu of preparedness—prevention and protection. Prevention is defined as the capabilities necessary to avoid, prevent, or stop a threatened or actual act of terrorism. Protection is the capabilities necessary to strengthen the homeland against acts of terrorism and manmade or natural disasters. For the purposes of this paper, the authors are comfortable taking the four-phase approach to dealing with natural hazard threats in a Canadian context.

  3. For a detailed synopsis of the May 2016 Fort McMurray fire and corresponding response efforts, useful resources include the MNP consulting review report (MNP Consulting 2017) prepared for Alberta Agriculture and Forestry; local media disaster timelines (see for instance French 2016; Phillips 2016; Kohut 2016) and other coverage and reports on the disaster (see for instance Giacalone et al. 2016; Markusoff et al. 2016). Details on the response described herein were compiled using these sources.

  4. In the months following the fire, recognizing that these sacrifices were made for the common good, the Regional Municipality developed compensation plans for homeowners who had lost homes to firebreaks, so that they would not have to make claims on their own insurance (Thurton 2016).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Disaster & Emergency Management, York University, Toronto, Canada

    Aaida A. Mamuji & Jack L. Rozdilsky

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  1. Aaida A. Mamuji
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  2. Jack L. Rozdilsky
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Correspondence to Aaida A. Mamuji.

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Mamuji, A.A., Rozdilsky, J.L. Wildfire as an increasingly common natural disaster facing Canada: understanding the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire. Nat Hazards 98, 163–180 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-018-3488-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-018-3488-4

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