A ferocious wildfire wreaking havoc in Canada doubled in size on Saturday and officials warned that the situation in the parched Alberta oil sands region was “unpredictable and dangerous.””This remains a big, out of control, dangerous fire,” Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said of the raging inferno bigger than London that forced the evacuation of the city of Fort McMurray.Winds were pushing the flames east of the epicentre around the oil city late on Saturday, as nearly all 25,000 people who were still trapped to the north finally left town, either via airlift or convoys on the roads.

The wildfire had doubled in size in one day, covering more than 200,000 hectares (494,000 acres) by midnight and continuing to grow, the Alberta Emergency Management Agency said.”Fire conditions remain extreme,” it said.Low humidity, high temperatures nearing 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) and gusty winds of 40 kilometres (25 miles) in forests and brush dried out from two months of drought are helping fan the flames.

Still, in a glimmer of positive news, the authorities have recorded no fatalities directly linked to the blaze that began almost a week ago.