       your TV or booted up your computer, and there on the screen were tens of thousands               temperatures, and bone-dry evergreen forests       2,400 homes and buildings. This attacking force of nature became known as the Fort  vicinity. It raged for weeks, traveling through the forests of northern Alberta and eastwards into the province of Saskatchewan.


        of mortal man to extinguish, thanks to the heroic efforts of those piloting and servicing  attacked the inferno from the air, and thanks to further brave boots on the ground who  them, Fort McMurray’s hospital, downtown area, utilities, and many residential areas were saved. More miraculously, only two lives were lost, and these unfortunate deaths occurred in a highway accident during evacuation.


At the time of the battle to save Fort McMurray,


Rotorcraft Pro asked our staff writer, James Careless, to cover this important story by focusing on the services helicopter operators provided in most challenging circumstances. This is his report.


 the traditional May 1 holiday soon turned—and burned—into a distress call. Unfortunately, the winds were too high and the ground too dry. Within hours, more and more acres were devoured by    temperature that it even began creating its own heat lightning. Eventually, emergency personnel 


The Beast.


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