The wildfire crisis in northern Canada continues to escalate. On Wednesday, evacuation orders were issued for Yellowknife, located in the Northwest Territories, marking yet another chapter in a torrid Canadian summer plagued by rampant wildfires.
Tens of thousands have been evacuated from their homes across the region, as vast tracts of land succumb to the blaze.
At Yellowknife’s local airport, evacuees like Tiffany Champin wait anxiously. In a statement to CBC, Champin, donning a mask, expressed, “I have asthma, and the forest fire smoke complicates my daily activities.” She further emphasized her mental distress due to the situation.
As of Thursday morning, over 1,000 forest fires were reported, with 230 raging in the Northwest Territories alone.
The 20,000 residents of Yellowknife have been directed to evacuate by Friday noon, either by road or through commercial or military flights.
Caroline Kucherin, the head of the territorial government, took to the platform “X” to voice her concerns. She lamented the overuse of the term “unprecedented” but stressed there’s no other way to describe the current situation.
Meanwhile, Mayor Rebecca Alty cautioned drivers, as the flames begin to encroach on main roads, compromising visibility due to dense smoke that’s turned the sky orange.
The first flights from Yellowknife to neighboring Alberta province are scheduled for Thursday, 1:00 PM local time (7:00 PM GMT). Mayor Alty told CBC about a one-kilometer-long caravan of cars that started evacuating yesterday, while many took to the skies.
Shane Thomson, the Northwest Territories’ Environment Minister, grimly noted in a press conference, “Without rain, it’s likely the fires will reach the city’s outskirts by the weekend.”
Efforts to curb the fire’s advance continue, with barriers being established as the blaze edges to within 16 kilometers of Yellowknife. Water bombers fly low, refilling from nearby lakes.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau convenes a wildfire response meeting later on Thursday. Military aircraft and over 120 soldiers are aiding firefighting efforts.
Earlier this week, Yellowknife declared a state of emergency, which was later extended to cover the vast northern territories, forcing fire personnel to retreat in certain areas.
Strong winds have fanned the flames, and evacuation orders have been placed in several towns and indigenous communities. Given the scale of the evacuation, nearly half the inhabitants of areas near the Arctic Circle will soon be displaced.
The military began air evacuations of smaller towns on Monday after fire engulfed several roads. Many are evacuating for the second time in months. Officials highlight the challenge of evacuating most of the region’s villages by road due to their remote distances from each other.