The latest occurrence in Canada's worst fire season on record saw thousands of citizens flee the capital of Canada's Northwest Territories ahead of an approaching wildfire on Thursday. Some drove hundreds of miles to safety, while others waited in long queues for emergency flights.
Strong winds caused the fire spread towards Yellowknife's northern boundary, and residents in the four high-risk districts were urged to flee as quickly as possible, according to fire information officer Mike Westwick.
While long caravans of cars evacuated the 20,000-citizen city, officials were concerned that winds could carry the flames toward the sole highway going away from the fire. Although some rain was predicted, first responders were taking no chances. Other locals were told by Westwick to depart by Friday noon.
“I want to be clear that the city is not in immediate danger and there’s a safe window for residents to leave the city by road and by air. Without rain, it is possible it will reach the city outskirts by the weekend,” Shane Thompson, a government minister for the Territories, told a news conference.
Though evacuating such a big number of people is "going to be tough," Westwick stated that everyone was cooperating and remaining composed.
According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, there have been more than 5,700 fires burning across more than 137,000 square kilometers of Canada this year, a record for the country and contributing to the choking smoke in some areas of the U.S. More than half of the 1,053 wildfires that were burning throughout the nation as of Thursday were out of control.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held urgent meetings with other Ministers and senior officials on Thursday to discuss the evacuation and promised to offer whatever help was required.
(Image 1:Retures)
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