FORT MCMURRAY, Alta. — Fred Thompson-Brown is man at the centre of a mind-bogglingly large and occasionally toxic clean-up.
As manager of Fort McMurray's landfill, he heads up a complex operation to contain all of the rubble left behind from the wildfire that destroyed parts of that northern Alberta city. Here are a few quick facts on Fort McMurray's massive cleanup:
How big? Fort McMurray lost 2,400 homes and structures during a wildfire that swept through the oilsands city in May.
How much waste? Previous urban wildfires in California and Slave Lake, Alta., suggest each home generates between 97 and 175 tonnes of ash, soil, concrete, metal and miscellaneous waste.
How much landfill? Waste generated by the fire is expected to be at least equivalent to the landfill's entire 2015 intake of 250,000 tonnes. It could go as high as 440,000 tonnes.
How many loads? Between 20,000 and 47,000 truckloads of waste are expected during the coming demolition phase. A truck will dump a load every 60 seconds.
How dangerous? Equipment operators work in sealed cabs with air filters changed daily. Nobody gets on-site without a particulate filter mask.
How smelly? A total of 11,437 fridges and freezers arrived in June, all of which had to be emptied of rotting food.
