Canada is currently witnessing its worst ever wildfire season with over 1 thousand active fires burning throughout the country, including 265 in the Northwest Territories.
The Northern city of Yellowknife has issued an evacuation order for its 20 thousand residents they are concerned that an approaching fire could reach the city by Saturday. The weather forecasts predict challenging conditions for the next 48 hours that will likely help the fires spread. With 65 percent of the Northwest Territories’ population expected to evacuate, Alberta province is preparing to receive evacuees.
The evacuation order was issued on Wednesday night, and the deadline for residents to leave Yellowknife is Friday at noon. Canadian airlines are adding more flights from Yellowknife and capping fares to help with the evacuation. The wildfires have already burned about 134 thousand square kilometer of land in Canada, forcing nearly 200 thousand people to evacuate at some point this season.
