About 6,800 people in eight other communities in the territory have already been forced to evacuate their homes.
“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,” Shane Thompson, a government minister for the Territories, told a news conference. “Without rain, it is possible will reach the city outskirts by the weekend.”
“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.“With the heavy smoke that will be approaching we encourage all residents to evacuate as soon as possible,” she said. Resident Angela Canning packed up her camper with important documents, family keepsakes and basic necessities as she prepared to leave with her two dogs, while her husband stayed behind as an essential worker.
A woman whose family evacuated the town of Hay River on Sunday told CBC that their vehicle began to melt as they drove through embers, the front window cracked and the vehicle filled with smoke that made it difficult to see the road ahead. Officials opened a reception center at the Calgary airport in preparation for the arrival of thousands of evacuees. Another center was set up at a hotel for those who drove to the city, said Iain Bushell, the city’s director of emergency management.
The evacuation order issued Wednesday night applies to Yellowknife and the neighboring First Nations communities of Ndilo and Dettah.
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