The McDougall Creek wildfire continues to burn on the mountainside above houses in West Kelowna, British Columbia. The firefighters battling the wildfires in western Canada received assistance from reinforcements and were relieved by milder weather on Saturday. This comes after Canada’s worst fire season in history, which caused destruction to structures, polluted the air with heavy smoke, and forced tens of thousands of residents to evacuate.
Although the flames were being contained 15 kilometers away from Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories, the firefighters are still cautious. Dry and windy weather is forecasted for the upcoming days, posing a risk to their progress. Mike Westwick, a wildfire information officer for Yellowknife, emphasized that the situation is far from over and it is not safe for residents to return.
Yellowknife has become a ghost town since the evacuation order was issued on Wednesday evening. Majority of the city’s 20,000 residents have fled, causing long caravans of cars on the main highway. The last 39 hospital patients were flown out of Yellowknife on a Canadian Forces plane, leaving approximately 2,600 people behind. This includes emergency teams, firefighters, utility workers, police officers, and some residents who refused to leave.
One of the evacuees, Charlotte Morritt, decided to leave Yellowknife due to the hazardous smoke affecting her 4-month-old son’s health. She and her son flew to safety in Whitehorse, Yukon, while her partner stayed behind to protect their property and assist in firefighting efforts.
Air tankers have been dropping water and fire retardant to prevent the flames from reaching Yellowknife. A 10-kilometer fire line has been created, along with the deployment of 20 kilometers of hose and numerous pumps. This year, Canada has witnessed a record number of wildfires, resulting in smoky conditions in certain parts of the United States. Over 5,700 fires have burned more than 137,000 square kilometers across the country, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.
As a precautionary measure, a state of emergency has been declared in all of British Columbia. Approximately 35,000 people have been ordered to evacuate wildfire zones, with an additional 30,000 under an evacuation alert. Premier David Eby expressed concern about the situation, stating that it is constantly changing, and non-essential travel to affected areas is being restricted to accommodate displaced residents and firefighters.
Amidst the ongoing crisis, Ian Stewart and his wife decided to evacuate Kelowna with their dog and sought refuge in Clearwater, British Columbia. The smoke became suffocating and ash was falling everywhere, compelling them to pack essentials and embark on a lengthy drive.
The smoke from the wildfires in British Columbia has also affected the Seattle area, aggravating the already recovering region from extreme heat. The air quality is expected to reach unhealthy levels over the next few days.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who met with evacuees from Yellowknife, extended his support to the affected communities. He commended the efforts of firefighters, police, military personnel, the Red Cross, and other responders for their work in battling the fires and responding to other natural disasters throughout the summer.
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