Out-of-control wildfires in Canada force all 20,000 residents of Yellowknife to flee
The minister of municipal and community affairs issued an evacuation order on Wednesday for Yellowknife, the capital of Canada’s Northwest Territories, and the surrounding areas as a massive wildfire rages less than 10 miles away from the city. The Behchoko/Yellowknife wildfire is one of over 230 active fires that pose a threat to other cities and towns in the region.
Residents of Yellowknife and Ingraham Trail, as well as the First Nations communities of N’Dilo and Dettah, have to leave their homes and businesses by car and plane. They have until noon on Friday to evacuate, as authorities warn that the fire could reach the area by the weekend if there is no rain.
The fires around Yellowknife are out of control, the government said, and they are so big that they can be seen from space. The government’s department of environment and climate change said airtankers worked through the night to fight the fire, while firefighting crews tried to extinguish hot spots and protect cabins and other structures along Highway 3, the main road west out of Yellowknife. In the city, officials are taking measures to prevent the fire from spreading, such as turning on sprinklers and creating fuel breaks.
The fire has caused a lot of devastation and distress. Social media platforms are filled with photos and videos of the fire and its effects. Some show long lines of traffic as people try to escape the area. Others show cars driving through smoke-filled roads, with burning trees on both sides. ‘It was my first time seeing a wildfire in person’ Kimberly Benito is an online student from the Philippines who has been living in Yellowknife for a year. She said she had never seen a wildfire before.
“I would look out the window and see how orange/smoky the skies are and that’s really scary,” Benito told NPR.
Benito posted on her Instagram story on Wednesday that she was “hoping for the best but prepared for the worst” as she packed a box of her belongings. She left the city by Highway 3 to Behchoko, about 65 miles northwest. She said it took her an hour and a half to get through the traffic because authorities had to escort cars through dangerous areas. She also filled up her gas tank and two Jerry cans before leaving, because she heard that gas stations along the way were crowded.
“What kept us entertained during the traffic/stops was to see that most of the cars with us had their pets with them,” Benito said. “It was heartwarming to see Canadians treat their pets like family.”
She had her dachshund puppy named Bruno with her in the car.
Benito drove all night and was almost in Edmonton — 900 miles from Yellowknife — by Thursday afternoon. She was heading to Calgary, which is another 180 miles away.
Those who are unable to leave by car can register for evacuation flights, as well as those who have health issues or are immunocompromised.
The flights will start at 1 p.m. today, according to the evacuation order, and passengers can only bring one carry-on item.
Officials are warning people not to try to evacuate by boat to nearby islands, because the air quality will worsen as the fires get closer.
The territory’s minister of municipal affairs, Shane Thompson, declared a state of emergency on Tuesday to allow the territory to get and use more resources to fight the fires.
“We are in a crisis situation and our government is doing everything it can to help,” Thompson said in a press release on Tuesday.
Yellowknife is the traditional land of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, but it was established as a gold mining town in 1934, according to the city website. It became the capital of the Northwestern Territories in 1967, and now it is a center for culture, economy and government services for the Northwestern Territories. It is also a great place to see the Northern Lights. The city resumed mining after diamonds were found in the area in 1991, and has since opened three mines within a short flight of the city. In 2016, the world’s largest new diamond mine, Gahcho Kuéopene, opened up about 175 miles northeast from Yellowknife, just south of the Arctic Circle, according to the mine’s majority owner, the De Beers Group.
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