Rain, cooler temperatures help prevent wildfire near Canadas oil sands from growing | KLRT [Video]

FORT MCMURRAY, Alberta (AP) — A wildfire that has forced thousands of people out of their homes in Canada’s oil sands hub city of Fort McMurray was held in place Thursday, as rain and cooler temperatures swept the area.

Alberta provincial wildfire information officer Christie Tucker said the blaze remained out of control — the only such designated fire in the province — but it did not grow overnight and remained at 200 square kilometers (77 square miles) in size.

“We’re seeing rain and cooler temperatures in much of the province this week, but unfortunately the northern part of the province is expected to stay drier and warmer,” Tucker told a news conference in the provincial capital of Edmonton.

The blaze remained just under 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) from the southwest outskirts of the community and less than five kilometers (3 miles) from the main highway south.

“The rain will …