The army will send a helicopter and a military plane with 124 soldiers, of whom 100 will help drop water and clear brush and the remaining 24 will coordinate logistics.
Yellowknife, the territorial capital, declared a state of emergency Monday night due to the imminent threat of fire.
He said on the X social network, formerly called Twitter, that this state is declared when it is considered that additional forces are needed to take immediate action. These include seizing vehicles or property to deal with an emergency or authorizing trained personnel to provide services or assistance.
On Tuesday there were more than 230 active outbreaks in the territory and five towns had been evacuated. Hundreds of northerners were being evacuated from at least three towns due to the proximity of the fires spurred by the wind.
“Over the last 24 hours there has been an air evacuation the likes of which has never been seen in this territory, Fire Information Officer Mike Westwick said Monday. “There are planes leaving Hay River, Fort Smith, Jean Marie River.”
“The roads are crowded. It is a very dangerous situation,” she added.
Jane Groenewegen was assisting a friend from the village of Enterprise, south of Hay Rover on Sunday evening, when RCMP officers knocked on her door to inform them to evacuate immediately.
“Just 30 to 45 minutes later, the entire town of Enterprise was destroyed in flames,” she said in a telephone interview.
Police reported that there were a dozen damaged and abandoned vehicles between Hay River and Enterprise.
“There have been reports of low visibility due to thick smoke on the road and this likely contributed to the crashes and idling of vehicles,” Corporal Matt Halstead said in a statement.
More than 21,000 square kilometers (8,100 square miles) have burned this year.
Canada has suffered a record number of fires this year.
FOUNTAIN: Associated Press
