Fort Mac wildfire was likely caused by humans

RCMP to investigate case, lightning strike ruled out

EDMONTON— Last month’s devastating wildfire that destroyed sections of Fort McMurray and resulted in the evacuation of more than 90,000 residents was likely caused by humans, the RCMP says.

“Wildfire investigators for the province of Alberta have established that the fire was most likely the result of human activity, having ruled out lightning as a probable cause,” the RCMP said in a statement Tuesday.

The RCMP said they are investigating to determine if a criminal offence may have been behind the cause of the fire.

Mounties have been working with provincial wildfire investigators, who believe the blaze is likely to have been caused by people. There were no reports of lightning in the region when the fire began May 1.

An air-quality advisory, fire ban and prohibition on ATVs have all been lifted for the region.

Residents of Fort McMurray were allowed to return earlier this month, four weeks after the wildfire cut the city in two and forced thousands to flee. The fire destroyed one-tenth of the city, including homes, businesses and schools.

A similar fire destroyed one-third of Slave Lake in 2011. In the months that followed, some donations, including new clothes for children, were found in the landfill after they went unclaimed.

Meanwhile, Alberta is organizing a centralized donation program for Fort McMurray residents and says it will avoid mistakes from the Slave Lake fire. Municipal Affairs Minister Danielle Larivee said Tuesday if there are more donations than needed, items will be redirected to other charities. With files from Star news services