Chinese oil firms' assets affected by wildfire in Canada

BEIJING - Two Chinese oil firms said Friday that the wildfire raging in west Canada had affected operations and forced the shutdown of facilities in the region.

The Canadian oil producer Syncrude, in which a subsidiary of China's largest oil refiner Sinopec holds a 9.03 percent stake, has reduced its operations, said Sinopec spokesperson Lyu Dapeng.

Syncrude has a project near the Fort McMurray in Alberta Province, where the fire has forced the evacuation of an estimated 90,000 people.

Most of Syncrude's assets lie underground and the effect of the fire on them may be limited, Lyu said.

In addition, China's offshore oil giant CNOOC Ltd. said Friday its wholly-owned subsidiary Nexen has shut down a project near Fort McMurray.

All personnel have been safely evacuated, according to CNOOC.

The wildfire broke out near Fort McMurray early this week and has expanded to 85,000 hectares so far, razing roughly 1,600 buildings.