Airlines Are Seating People And Their Pets As They Evacuate A Fire

If you had to leave your home right now, in this very instant, and had to grab what you could in almost no time, what would you take? Some people will say they would make sure their family members were safe, maybe they would grab photo albums, or a pet. Now how would you take those things with you? Would you get a bag and try to pack what you could, or would you rely on your arms to carry everything? That was something many people had to decide on quickly in light of the effects of the Fort McMurray fire in Alberta, Canada. Luckily, there was a way they could get themselves and the things they hold dearest to them to safety.

A wildfire that made history began on May 1, 2016 southwest of Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada.

By that evening, a local state of emergency had been declared and evacuation had started. In total, 1,600 buildings and homes have been destroyed and two people were killed in a traffic accident while fleeing.

Over a week later, the fire continues to rage on.

It has destroyed 85,000 hectares and more than 80,000 people have been evacuated from their homes. To put into perspective the vastness of the fire, an Imgur user showed what it would look like on a map of other places like New York and Los Angeles.

WestJet and Canadian North are evacuating people out of airports that are usually just for oil companies.

Now these airlines are transporting people and their dogs. When the evacuees were escaping, they left without cages for their pets, but that hasn't proved to be a problem.

Animals are very therapeutic, so having pets close by during this time has been good for evacuees.

One girl said this was her dog's first time flying. "The only thing I took from my house is this guy other than my passport. He had his first bus ride and plane ride yesterday and did awesome."

Advertisement