Parts of Canadian city in oil sands region evacuated as wildfire draws near

Shifting winds gusting to 40 kilometers per hour (25 miles per hour) fanned the flames, scorching 9,600 hectares of surrounding forests as it advanced to within 13 kilometers (eight miles) of the city that had previously been gutted by wildfires in 2016 -- one of the biggest disasters in the nation's history. Thousands of residents in the neighborhoods of Prairie Creek, Abasand, Grayling Terrace and Beacon Hill were ordered out by 4 pm local time. By mid-afternoon, a highway south was jammed with cars and trucks.