Wildfires force mass exodus in northern Canada

author: FutureCar Staff    

Thousands of residents in Yellowknife, one of the largest cities in Canada's far north, were ordered to evacuate on Thursday as wildfires approached the city. The evacuation was part of a series of wildfires that have plagued Canada throughout the summer, forcing tens of thousands of people to leave their homes and causing extensive damage to the land.

At the local airport in Yellowknife, people gathered to board emergency evacuation flights, seeking refuge from the smoke-filled air. One resident, Tiffany Champagne, spoke about the difficulty of dealing with the wildfire smoke, especially due to her asthma. "I'm just kind of mentally checked out at this point," she said.

As of early Thursday, over 1,000 wildfires were burning across Canada, with approximately 230 of them in the Northwest Territories. Yellowknife, the regional capital, gave more than 20,000 residents until noon on Friday to evacuate by road or by commercial and military flights.

Yellowknife Mayor Rebecca Alty warned drivers about the dangerous conditions on the highways, as the flames neared the edges and thick smoke turned the sky orange. The situation prompted Yellowknife to declare an emergency, and the evacuation order was expanded across the region.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged assistance, dispatching military aircraft and soldiers to help combat the wildfires. The evacuation of Yellowknife is now the largest-ever in the Northwest Territories, displacing half of the population of the near-Arctic territory.

The wildfires in Canada this season have been particularly intense, scorching 13.5 million hectares of land. The situation remains critical, with thick smoke hindering efforts to control the blazes. This is the second time a Canadian city has been evacuated due to wildfires, following the evacuation of Fort McMurray in 2016.

Despite the challenges, the Canadian government and local authorities are working to ensure the safety of residents and mitigate the damage caused by these devastating wildfires.

FutureCar Staff