The fire was 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the northern edge of Yellowknife, and people in the four most-at-risk areas of the city of 20,000 were told to get out as soon as possible, said Mike Westwick, information officer for Yellowknife. firefighters.
Residents in other areas should leave by noon Friday because strong northerly winds could push the fire onto the highway needed for evacuation, Westwick said. Although some rain was forecast in the region, first responders did not take any chances.
“I want to make it clear that the city is not in immediate danger and there is safe space for residents to leave the city by road and by air,” Shane Thompson, environment minister for the Territories, said at a news conference. “Without rain, it’s possible to reach the outskirts of the city by the weekend,” Thompson said.
Authorities said the intensive care unit at a Yellowknife hospital would close in 24 hours as the Northwest Territories Health Authority begins to scale back its services, the Health and Human Services Authority reported on its website.
Inpatient units from Stanton Territorial Hospital will be moved in the coming days, if necessary, and most long-term care patients have been transferred to southern institutions.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was expected to call an urgent meeting with ministers and high-ranking officials on Thursday to discuss the evacuation.
Canada has suffered a record number of wildfires this year. More than 5,700 fires have burned more than 137,000 square kilometers (53,000 square miles), according to the Canadian Inter-Agency Wildland Fire Center. As of Thursday, 1,053 forest fires were burning across the country, more than half of them out of control.
In the Northwest Territories alone, 268 wildfires have already burned more than 21,000 square kilometers (8,100 square miles).
Officials said evacuations from the Northwest Territories have so far been safe and orderly, and evacuees from the capital who cannot find their own accommodation can get support at three centers in nearby Alberta that were expected to open at noon Thursday. The closest of those centers is more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) by road from Yellowknife.
The authorities added that only those who cannot get out by road should sign up for evacuation flights. People who are immunocompromised or have a disease that puts them at increased risk were also encouraged to enroll.
“We are all tired of the word ‘unprecedented’ but there is no other way to describe this situation in the Northwest Territories,” Prime Minister Caroline Cochrane posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. She urged residents to obey emergency management officials, traffic control devices and posted speed limits. “The country is watching, and our neighbors have us in their thoughts and prayers.”
FOUNTAIN: Associated Press
