The 20,000 residents of Yellowknife, the capital of Canada’s Northwest Territories, have just hours to evacuate, local authorities alerted early Friday. The city, one of the largest cities in Canada’s far north, is threatened by a major forest fire could be reached by the flames driven by the wind over the weekend.
The evacuation order was issued on Wednesday. The authorities had given until Friday noon (8:00 p.m. Paris time) for the departure. Hundreds of people have already fled the area on the only southbound highway, causing lengthy traffic jams.
Hourly evacuation flights
However, given the urgency of the situation, local authorities this Thursday “begged” residents still present in Yellowknife and neighboring villages to leave their homes, reports Radio Canada. They also extended the evacuation order, which will also be by air.
Hundreds of people reported to the evacuation flights. A massive air raid is planned for this Friday: 21 evacuation flights are to take off between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. Two thousand seats are available.
“Further flights may be scheduled for Saturday, August 19, depending on flight turnaround times and needs.” we can read on the Northwest Territories government website.
“We will continue until we get the entire population of Yellowknife out,” Jennifer Young of the Northwest Territories Emergency Services said at a news conference Thursday night.
The bare minimum
“We ask that only residents who cannot leave the area by road register for evacuation flights,” the authorities wrote, urging residents to bring their luggage “only clothing for a maximum of 5 days”.
“For reasons of space and weight, the size of the luggage must not be larger than that of a normal hand luggage bag,” it said.
But as stated by Radio-Canada, Jennifer Young says authorities cannot physically force people to evacuate, but she hopes residents will do so for their safety.
The army called in reinforcements
The Canadian Army was called in as reinforcements to help the local authorities organize evacuation measures. Around 120 soldiers are deployed there, equipped with airplanes and helicopters.
This mass evacuation in such a remote area was “particularly difficult,” said Mike Westwick of the local fire department earlier in the week. The closest evacuation center to Yellowknife is 1,150 kilometers away in Alberta, where several centers have been established.
Canada is experiencing an exceptional wildfire season this year and history that breaks all records. More than a thousand fires are currently ravaging the country from east to west, including more than 230 in the Northwest Territories and more than 370 in British Columbia’s west coast, where evacuation orders have been issued. issued Thursday in West Kelowna, in the south-central part of the province.
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