What’s being called the largest airlift in the nation’s history is underway in the remote Northwest Territories.
People without vehicles line up to register for a flight to Calgary, Alberta, in wildfire-threatened Yellowknife on Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023.
Officials worried that winds could push the flames toward the only highway leading away from the fire as long caravans of cars evacuated the city of 20,000, and although some rain was forecast, first responders were taking no chances. Westwick urged residents in other areas to leave by noon Friday. Thursday’s evacuation of Yellowknife was by far the largest so far this year, said Ken McMullen, president of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs and fire chief in Red Deer, Alberta.“It’s one of those events where you need to get people out sooner rather than later,” because fire could block the only escape route before ever reaching the community.
A woman whose family evacuated the town of Hay River on Sunday told the CBC that their vehicle began melting as they drove through embers, the front window cracked and the vehicle began filling with smoke that made it difficult to see the road ahead. Officials said evacuations have so far been safe and orderly, and that evacuees from Yellowknife who can’t find their own accommodations can get support in three centers in the province of Alberta. The closest of those centers is more than 620 miles by road from Yellowknife.
Only those who cannot leave by road should register for the evacuation flights, officials added. People who are immunocompromised or have conditions that put them at higher risk also were encouraged to sign up.
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