One person hurt in fire at oilsands site near Fort McMurray

FORT MCMURRAY One person was being treated for injuries after a fire at Canadian Natural Resources’ Horizon oilsands site Monday evening.

According to company spokesperson Julie Woo, the fire was first reported at an electrical building at the site, 70 kilometres north of Fort McMurray, sometime during the evening.

The immediate area was evacuated as the company’s firefighters arrived.

The worker was taken to hospital with minor injuries, Woo said.

Woo was not able to confirm if the worker was a company employee or a contractor.

The company was also unable to confirm how many workers were told to leave the area, but that a full evacuation of the plant was not needed.

Jillian Beaumont, spokesperson for Wood Buffalo’s Regional Emergency Services, said municipal firefighters were not called to assist.

“The cause of the fire is being investigated and we are assessing to determine the extent of damage to the building,” Woo wrote in an email.

The fire was not expected to impact production.

Woo said Horizon was fully shutdown early Monday to prepare for a planned 45-day turnaround for maintenance.

The Alberta Energy Regulator was notified, she said.