Many People Leaving as Big Northern Canadian City Threatened by Approaching Wildfires
The city of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories of Canada is being evacuated due to wildfires. Over 20,000 residents have been told to leave by Friday noon. Emergency teams are creating barriers to stop the fire and putting in water systems to protect the city. The fire might still reach the city in the next few days because of strong winds. People are leaving by plane, and airlines are adding more flights. Many wildfires are burning in Canada, with over 1,000 active fires, including 230 in the Northwest Territories. The city of West Kelowna in British Columbia is also being evacuated due to a different fire. Around 5,000 people have been evacuated by emergency flights.
Yellowknife’s mayor warned drivers that the roads were dangerous due to smoke and low visibility. This is the largest evacuation in the Northwest Territories’ history. Military aircraft and soldiers are being sent to help fight the fires. Yellowknife’s evacuation means that half of the region’s population will be displaced. Other towns and communities are also being evacuated. Some residents had to evacuate recently because of wildfires as well.
Pictures on social media and TV show burned forests and wildlife. Evacuated people arrived in Alberta with damaged vehicles because of the long journey. Some people are having trouble finding safe places to go, feeling like they are refugees due to the effects of climate change.
Scientists are saying that human-caused global warming is making natural disasters worse. This means they are happening more often and causing more harm.
Yellowknife, a city in Canada, had to be evacuated because of wildfires. This is the second time a big Canadian city had to be emptied because of fires. The first time was in 2016 when 100,000 people in Fort McMurray had to leave their homes because of wildfires.
Earlier this year, parts of Halifax on the Atlantic coast had to be evacuated too because of fires.
This year, fires in Canada have been really strong and have burned a very large area – 13.7 million hectares, which is like 33.9 million acres. Sadly, four people have died because of these fires.