Tough days ahead, but Yellowknife wildfire now not expected to reach city by end of weekend
'A little bit of rain does not mean it is safe to come back to Yellowknife,' says N.W.T. Fire
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A wildfire burning out of control northwest of Yellowknife is now not expected to reach city limits by the end of the weekend, but that doesn't mean the city is out of the woods yet.
Winds coming from the northwest Saturday could push the wildfire closer to city limits, but the N.W.T. capital saw some reprieve overnight as rain fell and temperatures cooled off.
A high of 17 C is expected in Yellowknife Saturday, though it's expected to warm up again Sunday. The wildfire is still roughly 15 kilometres away.
Helicopters and air tankers are expected to keep working on that fire Saturday since visibility is good.
N.W.T. Fire said in a statement about four millimetres of rain fell overnight — temporary relief. Meanwhile, nearly two millimetres of rain fell on the fire northeast of the city near the Ingraham Trail.
"A little bit of rain does not mean it is safe to come back to Yellowknife, Ndilǫ, Dettah or the Ingraham Trail," the fire agency wrote.
"There are still tough days ahead, and threat to the area remains."
Sunday is expected to bring more west winds and temperatures in the 20s.
N.W.T. Fire said the fires in the North Slave region are burning deep into the ground, even if some of them are just smouldering on the surface. That means they could roar back to life.
As for the Ingraham Trail fire, N.W.T. Fire said it isn't expected to reach the highway in the next two days, but the whole area remains at risk.
Speaking to CBC Radio's Piya Chattopadhyay Saturday afternoon, Yellowknife Mayor Rebecca Alty asked residents to remain out of the city until they're notified it's safe to return.
"I can't wait to break that news but today, unfortunately, it's not that day," she said.
Alty wept as she described her relief at how many people have obeyed the order to leave.
"Last night, I think I had one of my better sleeps of the week, just knowing that so many people are out and safe," she said.
Gas available in Fort Providence, High Level
People driving out of the city Saturday can gas up at the Big River Service Centre in Fort Providence or in High Level, Alta. According to the N.W.T. Department of Public Safety, gas will be available in Steen River, Alta., as well until 9 p.m. Saturday. After that, the temporary Steen River facility will close.
Flights out of Yellowknife are starting to ramp down, with an estimated 95 per cent of Yellowknifers having already left. Many of those who remain are either essential workers or are involved with the emergency response, and many of those are expected to depart for Winnipeg Saturday.
Public Safety said an evacuation flight will be leaving at 4 p.m. MT Saturday. That flight will take evacuees to Winnipeg and drop some essential service workers back at their home base in Calgary.
People can register for flights by going to Sir John Franklin High School. Bring your pets, and if you need a ride, call 867-444-0115. Remaining evacuation flights will be directed to Winnipeg.
Earlier Saturday, Alty said about 1,600 people who are not essential workers remain in Yellowknife. She said there are still flights out if those people can't leave by highway.
She repeated the call for those people to leave before the situation gets worse.
"If there's an emergency, we really want to focus on the emergency at hand, and not doing the emergency evacuation," she said.
With winds expected to gust toward Yellowknife, Alty said one of the main priorities for the city is making sure people can still leave.
She said the wildfire northwest of the city has been moving slower than forecasted, with good conditions for water bombers to fly.
Crews have cleared roughly 150 hectares of forest (1.5 square kilometres) for the fire breaks around the city, she added.
Power still on
The Northwest Territories Power Corporation said Saturday in a statement that staff are firesmarting around the Snare and Bluefish hydro sites and the Jackfish power generation facility.
Staff will keep operating those facilities "as long as it is safe to do so," the power corporation said, adding Jackfish has enough fuel to keep going for an "extended" period. The corporation said it has also secured resupplies for Jackfish.
The territorial government has provided the following information for residents:
- N.W.T. residents who need to evacuate can register here.
- Territorial wildfire updates can be found here. Report smoke or fire by calling 1-877-698-3473.
- Emergency response resources can be found here.
- The latest community statuses, including notices, alerts and orders, can be found here.
- Additional information for evacuees can be found here.
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