Canada ordered this Thursday the start of the air evacuation of more than 20,000 inhabitants of Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories, after the forest fires that have spread through the city. More than 200 fires have burned a large part of this region of the country, which has a population of 45,000 inhabitants, many of them of indigenous origin. According to the authorities, the first evacuation flights for people with health or mobility problems will begin in the afternoon.
The advance of the flames has forced the rescue by air, although the evacuation was ordered on Wednesday. Yellowknife is surrounded by four large wildfires to the northwest, north, and southeast of the town. Since the beginning of the fire season in the territory, more than 168,000 inhabitants have had to be evacuated to other areas of the country. It is the largest air rescue in the history of the Northwest Territories.
According to statements by Canadian authorities, residents of the four highest-risk areas of Yellowknife must leave as soon as possible and residents of other areas have until noon on Friday to leave. However, people who do not have the option of going out by road must register for departing flights, according to authorities.
The evacuation order issued Wednesday night also includes neighboring Yellowknife communities: Ndilo, Dettah, and Ingraham Trail. So far, eight communities, a total of nearly 6,800, or 15% of the Northwest Territories’ population have already been evacuated, according to Mike Westwick, a fire information officer for the region.
Northwest Territories Premier Caroline Cochrane said Wednesday that residents must obey evacuation orders. “When they don’t evacuate, they put their lives in danger as well as those of emergency personnel,” Cochrane announced at a news conference. According to the authorities, the highway that connects Yellowknife with the south of the country remains open although its visibility has been reduced by smoke. Several points with emergency vehicles have been established to guide the inhabitants to escape from the fires.
This fire season, the flames have consumed 136,780 square kilometers of forest in the Northwest Territories. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that the Armed Forces are deployed to provide assistance to those affected. This year, Canada has reached a record for wildfires, more than 21,000 square kilometers of the country have been burned.
