Cooler weather brings some relief to wildfire-hit Canadian oil province Alberta

Paramount Resources (Pre-Merger)

08/05/2023 13:44

TORONTO, May 8 (Reuters) - Rain and cooler weather were
expected to bring some relief on Monday to Canada's main
oil-producing province of Alberta, where more than 100 wildfires
have forced nearly 30,000 people from their homes, officials
said.
    The province declared a state of emergency on Saturday and
some oil companies had shut production. 
    Vermilion Energy Inc  VET.TO  said on Monday it had
temporarily shut in about 30,000 barrels of oil equivalent per
day of production and that it was assessing the risk to its
operations.
    "Our assessment to date indicates minimal damage to our key
infrastructure," Vermilion said. 
    For a related Factbox:  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N37528H
    A mix of cooler temperatures and rain is forecast for Monday
which authorities hope will help contain the situation. More
fire fighters are expected to come in from neighboring
provinces.
    Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is scheduled to speak to
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday.       
    "People have called this season certainly unprecedented in
recent memory because we have so many fires so spread out,"
Christie Tucker from Alberta Wildfire told a media briefing
Sunday. "It’s been an unusual year."
    More than 30 fires have been classified as out-of-control.  
  

 (Reporting by Denny Thomas; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
 ((denny.thomas@thomsonreuters.com; +1 416 301 0464;))