A huge wildfire in northern Canada is moving closer the city of Yellowknife, the capital of Canada’s Northwest Territories, and evacuation of the city’s 20,000 residents has been ordered, the territorial government said.
Canada is enduring its worst-ever wildfire season with more than 1,000 active fires burning across the country, including 230 in the Northwest Territories.
Yellowknife’s mayor Rebecca Alty said on Wednesday that authorities believe the progress of the wildfire would allow time for people to evacuate on Wednesday and Thursday, according to local media outlet Cabin Radio.
“The city is not in immediate danger and there is a safe window for residents to leave by road or air,” Alty said, according to Cabin Radio.
Rylund Johnson, a member of the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly, said on social media that people had already started to evacuate the city voluntarily and were now under order to do so by noon on Friday.
“Flights will start Thursday afternoon. If you have ground transportation, check if your friends and family have a ride,” he said on the social media platform previously known as Twitter.
Approved ~ FS
jw
Article URL : https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/8/17/huge-wildfire-forces-evacuation-of-canadas-northwest-territories-capital