The Behchoko/Yellowknife Wildfires: Firefights, Rescue Crews and Social Media in a Changing City
Some 20,000 people have been ordered to evacuate their homes in Yellowknife, the capital of Canada’s Northwest Territories, and the surrounding areas as the Behchoko/Yellowknife wildfire burns out of control less than 10 miles outside the city. More than 230 active fires are threatening other cities and towns in the region.
The government’s department of environment and climate change reported that airtankers flew missions all night to fight the fire. Firefighting crews have been doing their best to put out hot spots, while others tried to protect cabins and other structures around Highway 3, the main road west out of Yellowknife. In the city itself officials are taking measures to protect themselves, including turning on sprinklers.
There are heartbreaking images of the fire. Photos and videos appearing across social media platforms show bumper-to-bumper traffic as residents try to flee the area. Others show vehicles traveling along the highway engulfed in smoke, with smoldering trees lining the roads as they drive toward safety.
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“But prepared for the worst, that’s what I hope for,” she wrote on her account Wednesday. In another post, she wrote that it took her an hour and a half to get out of Yellowknife.
The evacuation order says those who cannot leave by car can register for evacuation flights, as well as those who are immunocompromised or have high-risk health conditions. Those flights will start taking off at 1 p.m. today, the order reads, and passengers can only take one carry-on item.
Municipal Affairs Minister Shane Thompson declared a state of emergency Tuesday to allow the territory to acquire and deploy desperately needed resources to fight the fires.
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Maui’s Emergency Management Agency Administrator Herman Andaya has resigned, citing health issues. Andaya has been criticized for not activating Hawaii’s siren system during the wildfires. At a press conference, he said he didn’t regret his decision because he was concerned residents would head toward the mountains into the fires if they heard the sirens, which are primarily used to warn of tsunamis.
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Source: Up First briefing: Biden at Camp David; mortgage rates jump; NPR news quiz
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