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Vers van de pers:

Canadian officials will take their first look on Monday at the oil sands boomtown devastated by a wildfire that has been raging for more than a week, and the prime minister vowed a years-long commitment to rebuild the town.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the national government was working with local officials and businesses to get a better handle on the damage in Fort McMurray, whose 88,000 residents evacuated following the start of the fire on May 1.

"We will support and invest in rebuilding Fort McMurray in a broad range of ways in the coming days, weeks, months and yes, years," he told reporters in Ottawa, but gave no details.

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley will lead regional officials and media on an inspection of the town and warned the nation to brace for grim images, with entire neighborhoods destroyed.

Fire officials said that cooler weather had slowed the growth of the fire. But its course remained unpredictable on Monday, and Alberta wildlife information officer Travis Fairweather said wind could have a big impact.

Officials ordered the evacuation of two hamlets south of Fort McMurray, home to a combined population of 530 people, at midday. The orders were lifted less than an hour later.

RAIN NEEDED TO TAME 'BEAST'

Temperatures cooled on Monday, with a forecast high of 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius), down from Sunday's high of 63 degrees Fahrenheit (17 degrees Celsius).

The cool weather was expected to linger through Thursday, according to Environment Canada. Still, much of the province of Alberta in western Canada is tinder-box dry after a mild winter and warm spring.

"This beast is so big, we need rain to fix it," Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale told reporters on Monday.

Government weather forecasts show the first possibility of rain on Wednesday with a 30 percent chance.

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http://www.reuters.com/article/us-ca...-idUSKCN0XY0BM