May 4 (Reuters) - An out-of-control wildfire destroyed muchof one neighborhood in the remote Canadian city of Fort McMurrayand badly damaged other areas, the local government said onWednesday, hours after it ordered all 80,000 residents to leavein the biggest evacuation in the area's history.
Firefighters in the northeastern Alberta city at the heartof Canada's oil sands were bracing for another tough day. Hot,dry weather has made it difficult to being the fire undercontrol. A forecast for potential fire intensity showed much ofthe area around at class 6, the highest possible level.
Some 44,000 people had fled the city by late on Tuesday, butevacuations were delayed by gasoline shortages, local officialssaid. No injuries or deaths were reported.
In a bulletin posted on Twitter in the early morning, theregional government said 80 percent of Beacon Hill, aresidential area at the south end of town, had been lost. Twoother neighborhoods, Abasand and Waterways, were listed as"serious loss."
By early Wednesday morning Shell had closed one oilsands mine and was in the process of closing another. ChiefFinancial Officer Simon Henry said the company's priority wassafety, and to support the community. Henry said upgraders,which process oil sands to produce crude, would operate for afew more days.
Alberta Health Services said in a statement that allpatients had been successfully evacuated from Fort McMurray'shospital.
The fire broke out southwest of the city on Sunday, shiftingaggressively with the wind to breach city limits on Tuesday. (Reporting by Allison Martell; Editing by Frances Kerry)
