Yellowknife authorities ordered residents Wednesday night to leave the house until the weekend. is the largest city in the far north of Canada, by the rapid advance of the flames.
“Unfortunately, the wildfire situation is getting worse, with an inferno west of Yellowknife being representative a real threatsaid the Northwest Territories environment minister when he ordered the evacuation.
At a press conference, Shane Thompson urged the 20,000 residents of the Northwest Territories capital to leave Yellowknife by air or road.
“The city is not in immediate danger, (…) but without rain, the fires could reach the outskirts of the city this weekend”said Thompson.
“If you stay until the weekend, you risk putting yourself and others at risk,” the minister added.
Fires in Canada – The government of the Northwest Territories announced an evacuation of the capital Yellowknife
Yellowknife has about 20,000 inhabitants
There is currently no direct threat to the city. The government also warned that highways could close. pic.twitter.com/EHWw5AT2sg
– Jack Straw (@JackStr42679640) August 17, 2023
People line up at gas stations, their cars packed to the roof #Yellow Knife the water bombers fly overhead. They get out. #wildfire pic.twitter.com/5TsxJftNPc
— Jayme doll (@DollJayme) August 17, 2023
Canada’s prime minister said on Wednesday that the armed forces will continue to provide relief to the Northwest Territories.
“We will continue to provide you with the necessary resources” and “provide all possible assistance,” Justin Trudeau wrote. on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
To the people of the Northwest Territories, we are here for you. We’ve been mobilized @CanadianForces members, and we will continue to provide whatever resources are needed. I’ve spoken to Premier about that @CCocrane_NWT today – and reaffirmed our commitment to helping where we can.
– Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) August 16, 2023
On Tuesday, Yellowknife Mayor Rebecca Alty had already warned residents to prepare for a possible evacuation if the flames, then 12 miles from the city, continued to advance.
Yellowknife is surrounded by four wildfires in the northwest, north, and southeast.
230 active wildfires
At least one Yellowknife hospital has already reduced operations and transferred patients to other cities in southern Canada.
More than 6,000 people, about 15% of the population, have already been evacuated by military aircraft from remote communities in the Northwest Territories threatened by a spate of more than 230 active wildfires.
On the same day, the authorities of the Northwest Territories declared a state of emergency across the region.
Canada is experiencing its worst wildfire season in history, with thousands of fires already prompting more than 200 evacuation orders this year, forcing an estimated 168,000 people to temporarily leave their homes.
The fires emitted the equivalent of more than a billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), an unprecedented record, Canadian authorities said last week.
The value is almost equal to the annual emissions of Japan (1,120 million tons of CO2 in 2021), the fifth largest polluter in the world.
The fires have so far burned 13.5 million hectares, equivalent to the area of Greece, and nearly double the area of the last all-time record, dating back to 1989 at 7.3 million hectares, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.
Since May, Canada received help from about 5,000 firefighters from 12 countries, including Portugal, in June.
Source: DN
