A raging wildfire is rapidly approaching the capital of Canada’s Northwest Territories, prompting the evacuation of its 20,000 residents. According to a federal update reported by BBC News, half of the region’s population has already been displaced by these fires. The Minister of Emergency Preparedness, Harjit Sajjan, expressed concern about the unpredictable and active nature of the fires, admitting that the government does not yet know the full extent of the damage.
Unfortunately, efforts to combat the fire have been hindered by northwest winds and minimal rainfall. Emergency officials fear that the fire may reach the city limits by the weekend, despite a slight chance of limited rain on Friday. Shane Thompson, a government minister for the Territories, emphasized the critical nature of the next couple of days at a news conference.
As thousands of people flee the wildfires, the worst fire season in Canada’s history continues unabated. Individuals are traveling hundreds of kilometers or waiting in long lines for emergency flights to seek safety. Ten planes departed from Yellowknife on Thursday, carrying 1,500 passengers. The hope is that an additional 22 flights will leave on Friday, accommodating 1,800 more passengers.
To protect the city from the encroaching fires, a network of fire guards, sprinklers, and water cannons is being established. A caravan of motorists is being guided through fire zones, and airtankers have been deployed to keep the highway open. Yellowknife Mayor Rebecca Alty expressed relief that the fire did not advance as much as anticipated on Thursday, but remains concerned about the expected heavy smoke and the urgency of evacuating. Residents, like Alice Liske, left the city by road due to poor air quality and expressed concern about what they will find upon their return.
The scale of the wildfires in Canada this year has shattered records, contributing to smoke pollution in parts of the United States. Over 5,700 fires have burned more than 137,000 square kilometers of land. As of Friday morning, more than 1,000 wildfires were still burning across the country, with over half of them out of control. In addition to the evacuation of Yellowknife, residents of West Kelowna in British Columbia were also ordered to evacuate due to the threat from an approaching wildfire.
Ken McMullen, president of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs, emphasized the need for swift evacuations, as the fire could potentially block the only escape route before reaching the community. Indigenous communities, such as Ndilo and Dettah, have been hit particularly hard by the wildfires, as they pose a threat to vital cultural activities like hunting, fishing, and gathering native plants.
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