About 20,000 residents of Yellowknife and two nearby First Nation communities have until noon tomorrow (Fri) to evacuate because of a nearby wildfire. There are long lines at the airport and on the highways as everyone tries to find a way to safety. Air evacuations began early this afternoon (Thurs). The Government of the Northwest Territories states on its website that for those who wish to stay, you can do so, but you are asked to register, and for those with no place to go, there is an emergency shelter.
The North Slave fire is what is causing this evacuation. Environment Canada says there are tough days ahead with northwest to west-northwest winds on Friday and Saturday which would push the fire towards Yellowknife. There are 236 wildfires in the Northwest Territories, with over 2.1 billion hectares affected.
The Government of the Northwest Territories says on its website that pets are permitted on all flights. With commercial carriers, pets must be crated. On Royal Canadian Air Force planes, pets should be crated whenever possible, but for those that don’t have a crate, cats must be harnessed and dogs must be leashed, and both must be held as close as possible at all times. Other pets must be contained in appropriate cages.
The Government of Saskatchewan is implementing several measures to assist the residents of the Northwest Territories. The government released a statement confirming that it is prepared to provide temporary shelter for evacuees coming from the Northwest Territories if required. It is also prepared to provide firefighting support.
The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency deployed an Incident Management Team of five people, two Agency representatives and 40 Type 1 wildland firefighters to support the wildfire efforts in Northwest Territories on Thursday. The group, which departed from Prince Albert this morning, is expected to be out of the province for approximately two weeks. However, if the need arises, they can be called back to Saskatchewan at any time.
Right now, there are 16 Saskatchewan wildland firefighters deployed in the Yukon to help local ground crews in their efforts to contain wildfires.
