Canadian fire crews on Thursday battled to prevent wildfires from reaching the northern city of Yellowknife, where all 20,000 residents are leaving by car and plane after an evacuation order was declared.
Water bombers flew low over Yellowknife as thick smoke blanketed the capital of the vast and sparsely populated Northwest Territories. Officials say the fire, which is moving slowly, is now 15 km (10 miles) northwest of the city and could reach the outskirts by Saturday if there is no rain.
"Very tough days ahead – with two days of northwest to west-northwest winds on Friday and Saturday, which would push fire towards Yellowknife," the territorial fire service said in a statement on Facebook.
In the Pacific province of British Columbia, which has suffered unusually intense blazes this year, officials warned residents to prepare for extreme fire conditions.
"This weather event has the potential to be the most challenging 24 to 48 hours of the summer from a fire perspective," wildfire service director Cliff Chapman told reporters. "We are expecting significant growth and we are expecting our resources to be challenged from north to south."
In Yellowknife, hundreds of people lined up outside a local high school waiting to be taken to the airport for one of the five evacuation flights planned on Thursday to the neighboring province of Alberta.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau convened a meeting of the Incident Response Group to discuss the fires on Thursday. The group is comprised of senior officials and ministers, and meets in cases of crisis.
Defence Minister Bill Blair, speaking to the Canadian Broadcasting Corp (CBC) after the meeting, said the federal government was closely monitoring the evacuations and was prepared to quickly airlift residents if land routes get cut off.
This is Canada's worst-ever wildfire season with more than 1,000 active fires burning across the country, including 265 in the Northwest Territories. Experts say climate change has exacerbated the wildfire problem.
Drought has been a contributing factor to the number and intensity of this year's fires, officials say, with high temperatures exacerbating the situation. Much of Canada has seen abnormally dry conditions.
Shane Thompson, the territorial environment minister, said the evacuation order had been issued late Wednesday to give people time to get out before the weather turned bad.
"The urgency is, fire changes drastically ... the conditions are in our favor right now, but that will change on Saturday," he told theCBC.
In total, about 65% of the Territories population of 46,000 people would be evacuated, he said.
The Northwest Territories have limited infrastructure and there is only one two-lane road out of Yellowknife to the province of Alberta to the south.
Alberta has set up three official evacuee reception centers for those leaving by road but the closest is more than 1,100 km (680 miles) from Yellowknife.
The deadline for residents to leave Yellowknife is noon on Friday (1800 GMT).
Yellowknife Mayor Rebecca Alty said special teams were clear-cutting trees close to the city in an effort to prevent flames from spreading. They also planned to use fire retardant while ensuring sprinkler systems are working, she told the CBC.
Canada's two largest airlines said they were adding flights from Yellowknife and capping fares following outrage on social media about some soaring prices.
Some of the evacuees will be flown to Calgary, in Alberta. Iain Bushell, Calgary's emergency management director, said the city could accommodate and feed 5,000 people.
"We are prepared to house them and help them for as long as they need," he told a televised briefing.
In a social media post, the Northwest Territories fire service said a fire that had been threatening Hay River, a community of some 3,000 further south on Great Slave Lake, had stalled overnight.
So far about 134,000 square km (52,000 square miles) of land in Canada have been scorched, more than six times a 10-year average. Nearly 200,000 people have been forced to evacuate at some point this season.
"The territories have never seen anything like this before in terms of wildfire ... it's an unimaginable situation for so many," Mike Westwick, the territories' fire information officer, told the CBC.
The blazes have also affected industrial and energy production. Diamond producer De Beers said in a statement that its Gahcho Kue mine, some 280 km (170 miles) northeast of Yellowknife, continued to operate although a number of employees from surrounding communities had been evacuated.
In May 2016, a huge fire destroyed 10% of structures in the northern energy-producing Alberta city of Fort McMurray, forcing the evacuation of 90,000 residents and shutting in more than a million barrels per day of oil output.
In June 2021, 90% of the structures in the British Columbia village of Lytton burned down, a day after it recorded Canada's hottest-ever temperature.
Reuters
Fri Aug 18 2023
![Canada crews battle wildfires, all Yellowknife residents evacuating Canada crews battle wildfires, all Yellowknife residents evacuating](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2023-08/41692332325_TBwildfires.jpg)
A view shows wildfires near a highway in Yellowknife, Canada, August 16, 2023, in this picture obtained from social media. - INSTAGRAM/ @mckuglovin/via REUTERS
AWANI 7:45 [16/07/2024] - Suspek dibawa ke lokasi | Selamat tinggal rakyat Malaysia | Harimau Malaya hilang taring?
- Polis sahkan suspek bunuh Kartini anggota polis.
- Pan-Gon enggan dedah punca letak jawatan.
- Faisal Halim sedih mentor Pan-Gon undur diri.
- Pakai reben putih di Parlimen, tak salah.
- Pan-Gon enggan dedah punca letak jawatan.
- Faisal Halim sedih mentor Pan-Gon undur diri.
- Pakai reben putih di Parlimen, tak salah.
![Najib fail permohonan di mahkamah rayuan cabar Titah Adendum Najib fail permohonan di mahkamah rayuan cabar Titah Adendum](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2023-05/71683779541_TBNAJIBRAZAK.jpg)
Najib fail permohonan di mahkamah rayuan cabar Titah Adendum
Berdasarkan sistem e-filing mahkamah, rayuan itu telah ditetapkan untuk pengurusan kes pada 7 Oktober ini.
![E-sukan harus dijadikan kepentingan sehingga ke peringkat lebih tinggi E-sukan harus dijadikan kepentingan sehingga ke peringkat lebih tinggi](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/61721128633_MohdHidayatMohdSa.jpg)
E-sukan harus dijadikan kepentingan sehingga ke peringkat lebih tinggi
Kerajaan juga harus wujudkan sebuah dasar yang jelas supaya kepentingan e-sukan ini mampu diperkembangkan ke masa hadapan.
![Kerajaan pandang serius penularan ideologi liberalism, pluralism Kerajaan pandang serius penularan ideologi liberalism, pluralism](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/61721122322_ZulkifliHasan.jpg)
Kerajaan pandang serius penularan ideologi liberalism, pluralism
Kerajaan sentiasa memandang serius terhadap penularan ideologi dan aliran pemikiran yang bercanggah dengan ajaran Islam seperti ideologi liberalism dan pluralism agama.
![Tidak dapat tidak, atlet RTG mesti bawa pulang emas - MOM Tidak dapat tidak, atlet RTG mesti bawa pulang emas - MOM](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-03/61710754100_MohdNazifuddinNaji.jpg)
Tidak dapat tidak, atlet RTG mesti bawa pulang emas - MOM
Atlet di bawah projek Road To Gold (RTG) tidak mempunyai pilihan selain memenangi emas yang diidam-idamkan Malaysia pada Sukan Olimpik 2024 di Paris.
![KEDA peruntuk RM3.37 juta tahun ini bagi keterjaminan makanan KEDA peruntuk RM3.37 juta tahun ini bagi keterjaminan makanan](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2023-09/41693913999_RubiahWang.jpg)
KEDA peruntuk RM3.37 juta tahun ini bagi keterjaminan makanan
Lembaga Kemajuan Wilayah Kedah (KEDA) memperuntukkan RM3.37 juta pada tahun ini bagi memastikan keterjaminan makanan negara.
![Dewan Rakyat lulus RUU Agensi Kawalan dan Perlindungan Sempadan Malaysia Dewan Rakyat lulus RUU Agensi Kawalan dan Perlindungan Sempadan Malaysia](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/41721021538_TBSHAMSUL.jpg)
Dewan Rakyat lulus RUU Agensi Kawalan dan Perlindungan Sempadan Malaysia
Rang Undang-Undang Agensi Kawalan dan Perlindungan Sempadan Malaysia 2024 yang bertujuan menubuhkan MCBA diluluskan persidangan Dewan Rakyat, hari ini.
![PAC akan mulakan prosiding isu dibangkit LKAN Siri 2/2024 PAC akan mulakan prosiding isu dibangkit LKAN Siri 2/2024](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-03/61710922383_MasErmieyatiSamsud.jpg)
PAC akan mulakan prosiding isu dibangkit LKAN Siri 2/2024
Jawatankuasa Kira-Kira Wang Negara (PAC) akan memulakan prosiding bagi empat isu yang dibangkitkan dalam Laporan Ketua Audit Negara (LKAN) Siri 2/2024.
AWANI Ringkas: Kes bunuh Nur Farah Kartini | Skandal LCS
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
ADUN Rembia sertai Pas, kenapa tak umum tahun lepas? - MP Kampar
Chong Zhemin, tindakan tersebut seolah-olah satu penghinaan paling besar kepada Parlimen yang telah meluluskan pindaan Perlembagaan Persekutuan berkait Akta Antilompat Parti.
![Lelaki ditahan koyak al-Quran dalam masjid, cuba langgar jemaah Lelaki ditahan koyak al-Quran dalam masjid, cuba langgar jemaah](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2023-04/81681114176_WargaEmas.jpg)
Lelaki ditahan koyak al-Quran dalam masjid, cuba langgar jemaah
Seorang lelaki di Kanada dilaporkan mengoyak Al-Quran sambil menjerit di hadapan jemaah di salah satu masjid di Markham, Ontario, baru-baru ini.
![Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2021-11/71636215185_BAP.jpg)
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah antara yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
![4 maut setelah keluarga Islam sengaja dilanggar pemandu pikap di Kanada 4 maut setelah keluarga Islam sengaja dilanggar pemandu pikap di Kanada](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2021-06/81623129228_fatalcrimescene.jpg)
4 maut setelah keluarga Islam sengaja dilanggar pemandu pikap di Kanada
Empat anggota keluarga Islam terbunuh selepas seorang pemandu sebuah trak pikap dengan sengaja melanggar mereka di London, Ontario, Kanada.
![COVID-19: Nasihat perjalanan CDC AS bukan perkara luar biasa - Pakar COVID-19: Nasihat perjalanan CDC AS bukan perkara luar biasa - Pakar](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2021-04/41619103586_KLIA.jpg)
COVID-19: Nasihat perjalanan CDC AS bukan perkara luar biasa - Pakar
CDC AS pada masa yang sama juga mengeluarkan nasihat yang sama ke atas kebanyakan negara Eropah dan Canada.
![Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2020-12/51608213799_BAP.jpg)
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah antara yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
![Sebulan selepas dibenar terbang, pesawat Boeing 737-8 Max mendarat cemas akibat masalah enjin Sebulan selepas dibenar terbang, pesawat Boeing 737-8 Max mendarat cemas akibat masalah enjin](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2020-12/61608950485_BoeingMaxAir.jpg)
Sebulan selepas dibenar terbang, pesawat Boeing 737-8 Max mendarat cemas akibat masalah enjin
Pesawat yang mempunyai tiga kru penerbangan itu menerima signal mengenai masalah pada salah satu enjinnya.
![UK-Kanada meterai perjanjian perdagangan sementara UK-Kanada meterai perjanjian perdagangan sementara](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2020-11/71606006419_CanadaUK.jpg)
UK-Kanada meterai perjanjian perdagangan sementara
Antara lain, ia merupakan perjanjian kedua terbesar yang dicapai UK ketika perunding mahu memperkukuhkan hubungan perdagangan luar EU.
![PM UK tetapkan 15 Oktober tarikh capai perjanjian Brexit PM UK tetapkan 15 Oktober tarikh capai perjanjian Brexit](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2020-09/41599445352_DominicRaab.jpg)
PM UK tetapkan 15 Oktober tarikh capai perjanjian Brexit
Menurut Perdana Menteri UK Boris Johnson, jika ia gagal dicapai, kedua-dua pihak UK dan EU harus menerima kenyataan itu dan bergerak ke hadapan.
![Bekas CEO Petronas dilantik pengerusi Sapura Bekas CEO Petronas dilantik pengerusi Sapura](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/http://img.astroawani.com/2020-07/71596125975_TanSriShamsulAzha.jpg)
Bekas CEO Petronas dilantik pengerusi Sapura
Shamsul menggantikan Tan Sri Dr Hamid Bugo, yang menjadi pengerusinya pada bulan lepas tetapi bersara selepas bersama dengan syarikat selama lebih dari lapan tahun.
![COVID-19: Jordan buka semula lapangan terbang COVID-19: Jordan buka semula lapangan terbang](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/http://img.astroawani.com/2020-07/81594701833_Kapalaterbang.jpg)
COVID-19: Jordan buka semula lapangan terbang
Misto berkata, kebenaran itu diberikan kepada negara tertentu dengan mengambil kira situasi pandemik COVID-19.