The fire, fanned by strong winds, was 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the northern edge of Yellowknife, and residents in four areas most at risk were told to get out as soon as possible, said Mike Westwick, information officer for Yellowknife. firefighters.
Officials were concerned that winds could send flames toward the only highway leading in the opposite direction of the fire as long caravans of cars evacuated the city of 20,000, and while some rain was expected in the region, first responders were not they wanted to take risks. Westwick asked residents in other areas to vacate by noon Friday.
“I want to make it clear that the city is not in immediate danger, and there is a safe period for residents to leave the city by road and by air,” Shane Thompson, environment minister for the Territories, told a news conference. “Without rain, it is possible to reach the outskirts of the city by the weekend,” he added.
Canada has suffered a record number of wildfires this year. More than 5,700 fires have burned more than 53,000 square miles (137,000 square kilometers) from one end of the country to the other, 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).
The Yellowknife evacuation on Thursday was by far the largest in Canada so far this year, according to Ken McMullen, president of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs and a Red Deer fire chief. Alberta.
“It’s one of those cases where you have to get people out as soon as possible,” because the fire could block the only escape route before reaching the community.
FOUNTAIN: Associated Press
