Canadian Wildfires Threaten Oil Output, Prompt Evacuations
- Fires burn close to 388,000 barrels a day of oil production
- Jasper National Park is evacuated due to wildfire threat
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Wildfires in Canada’s energy-producing Alberta province are threatening almost 10% of the region’s oil production and forcing the evacuation of one of the country’s largest national parks during the peak summer tourist season.
Hot weather has contributed to a wildfire outbreak in Western Canada, with 170 burning in Alberta alone — 53 of them out of control. The equivalent of about 388,000 barrels a day of oil output and 13,400 barrels a day of natural gas are within 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) of blazes that are at least 10 hectares (25 acres) in size, according to Alberta Wildfire geographic data and Alberta Energy Regulator June production data.