The premier of the Canadian province of British Columbia declared a state of emergency, saying authorities there were “facing the worst wildfire season ever” Yellowknife fire as thousands were evacuated from cities east of Vancouver.
Premier David Eby said on Friday night: “Over the past 24 hours, the situation has evolved rapidly. And we are in for an extremely challenging situation in the days ahead.”
Firefighters are battling the out of control McDougall Creek wildfire which has raged across 10,500 hectares amid gusty conditions in the hills and mountains above the city of West Kelowna, forcing thousands of evacuations. West Kelowna, a city of 36,000 people, lies 300km (180 miles) east of Vancouver.
Evacuations also carried out in nearby Kelowna, a city with a population of about 150,000 that lies across Okanagan Lake from West Kelowna.
It came as authorities further north in the Northwest Territories region said more than 19,000 people believed to have evacuated from the Yellowknife fire threatening the city of Yellowknife.
Fire crews there are working around the clock to dig fuel breaks, spread fire retardant and drop water from the air in emergency efforts to protect the city of 20,000. Cloud cover and cooler temperatures slowed the fire west of Yellowknife on Friday, firefighters said.
Evacuation Process
An estimated 4,000 people taken out by air, with the possibility of more flights on Saturday if the weather, planes and crew hold out. The province’s environment minister, Shane Thompson, said about 1,000 essential staff were remaining but urged anyone else to leave
Canada is enduring its worst wildfire season, with more than 1,000 active fires burning across the country. Thus, including 236 in the Northwest Territories. Fires in the territory have burned more than 2m hectares of land. And more than half of the region’s population is under evacuation orders.
Yellowknife mayor Rebecca Alty said on Friday it was unclear when residents would be able to return. “Unfortunately, the journey done yet. The fire continues to approach and the uncertainty of when you’ll be able to return will difficult,” she said.
Officials said the next 24 to 48 hours could be the most difficult. Earlier the airspace in the area closed to clear the way for water bombers.
