Wildfire forces Yellowknife residents to evacuate – CP24
August 17, 2023
Residents of the capital of the Northwest Territories and two neighbouring First Nation communities have been ordered to evacuate by Friday because of an encroaching wildfire.
The evacuation order issued late Wednesday applies to Yellowknife, which has a population of about 20,000 people, as well as the nearby communities of Ndilo and Dettah.
The territorial government says residents living along Ingraham Trail and in Dettah, Kam Lake, Grace Lake and the Engle Business District are at highest risk and should leave as soon as possible.
It says other residents have until noon on Friday to leave.
The government says it is safe for people to leave Yellowknife by road, while air evacuations for people at higher risk, such as those who are immunocompromised, are set to begin this afternoon.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Premier Caroline Cochrane asked residents leaving by road to obey all warning signs, emergency management officials, traffic control devices and posted speed limits.
Read More: https://www.cp24.com/news/yellowknife-residents-ordered-to-leave-as-wildfire-burns-nearby-1.6522747
