Tens of Thousands Forced to Evacuate as Wildfires Rage Across Canada's Northwest
© AP Photo / Communications Nova Scotia
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Nearly 34 million acres have burned in Canadian wildfires this year, an area larger than Nicaragua, easily topping any year in recorded history. Every province in Canada and parts of Alaska have been affected.
Hundreds of fires in Canada’s Northwest Territories have led to the evacuation of the capital Yellowknife and other areas as the country battles the worst wildfire season in its recorded history.
At present, there are 230 fires raging in the sparsely populated Northwest Territories, and other areas have already been evacuated, affecting 60% of the territory's roughly 45,000 residents.
“Residents living along the Ingraham Trail, in Dettah, Kam Lake, Grace Lake and Engle Business District are currently at highest risk and should evacuate as soon as possible. Other residents have until noon on Friday, August 18, 2023 to evacuate,” Northwest Territories officials said in a Wednesday release.
One wildfire west of Yellowknife has already burned approximately 407,000 acres and is moving toward Yellowknife and the main highway in the area. Officials warned that residents may face significant smoke and air hazards while evacuating the area.
One Canadian resident told US media the experience was the most frightening of her life.
"We hit a patch where we couldn’t see any of the lines on the road. That lasted 45 minutes,” Nadia Byrne told the outlet. “We had our N95s on and could barely breathe and our chest and lungs hurt.”
Residents in the community of N’dilo have also been told to evacuate with officials adding that those who cannot leave by car can request an air evacuation.
A state of emergency has been declared for the entire territory, allowing officials to deploy resources without delay and the Canadian Armed Forces have been mobilized to support firefighters.
Meanwhile, there are over 360 fires ablaze in neighboring British Columbia, with more expected in the coming days due to high-pressure air that is expected to cause dry winds, high temperatures and lightning strikes, which have been the primary igniter of new fires.
A video of the town of Fort Smith, on the border of the Northwest Territories and Alberta, showing the sky a disturbing color of red has since gone viral. It was a scene reminiscent of footage in June of New York City’s sky turning orange from smoke from the Canadian wildfires.
The sky above the town of Fort Smith in Canada turned a striking shade of red orange as a result of wildfires in the area.
— Volcaholic 🌋 (@volcaholic1) August 17, 2023
video credit: Dana Fergusson#wildfires #canada #FortSmith #ClimateActionNow pic.twitter.com/wfJQgSAdxr
That month, smoke blanketed much of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic areas of the United States, with the smoke cloud later reaching the shores of Europe.
The wildfires are again affecting the air quality in the United States. An air quality alert has been issued through Monday for the entirety of Wisconsin, with conditions expected to get as bad as “red” or “unhealthy.”
Minnesota initially issued a statewide air quality alert for Thursday and Friday, but that has been lifted for the southern regions of the state. Northern regions remain on alert and air quality is expected to reach “orange” or “unhealthy for sensitive groups” in the Twin Cities and other areas.
