Thousands Evacuated as Wildfires Approach Yellowknife and West Kelowna

Vehicles line-up for fuel at Fort Providence, N.W.T., on the only road south from Yellowknife, Aug. 17, 2023, as the city is evacuated due to wildfires in the region. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Tens of thousands of people in the cities of Kelowna and West Kelowna, B.C., and Yellowknife, N.W.T., have been forced to evacuate as a series of wildfires creep toward the communities.

Officials have said the fast-burning McDougall Creek wildfire bearing down on West Kelowna, B.C., population 36,000, is “very active and unpredictable.” As such, more than 2,400 properties are under an evacuation order and more than 4,800 are under an evacuation alert.

The fire is threatening suburbs, schools, and businesses in the city, while also forcing the closure of Highway 97 in both directions between West Kelowna and Kelowna.

Thousands have also been forced to evacuate from their homes in Okanagan after a wildfire jumped Lake Okanagan and sparked wildfires in Kelowna where an emergency has been declared for the population of 150,000.

Some properties in West Kelowna have already been destroyed, according to an Aug.18 release from the Central Okanagan Emergency Operation Centre. Jason Brolund, chief of the West Kelowna fire department, said on Aug.17 that the area of the evacuation order was likely to grow.

Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma said the province’s wildfire service has used “significant resources’' on the West Kelowna fire, which is burning just a few kilometres from the city. She has encouraged everyone in the region to prepare in case they are ordered to evacuate.

Fires Burning Near Yellowknife

Yellowknife, a city of 20,000, was also ordered to be evacuated late on Aug. 16. Already over 1,500 people have left on evacuation flights, while convoys of vehicles made the long drive south to hotels and evacuation centres in Alberta.

A total of 55 hospital patients and long-term care residents are being evacuated to B.C., while inmates are being sent to jails in Alberta and Yukon.

Several other communities in the territory, including the town of Hay River, have ordered residents to leave.

Shane Thompson, environment and communities minister for N.W.T., said that the wildfire situation remains critical, with 236 fires burning about 15 kilometres from Yellowknife.

“I urge all residents under evacuation orders to please adhere to them as they are issued. These orders are never issued lightly and always consider our collective health and safety. You could be jeopardizing your safety and that of others,” Mr. Thompson said.

On Aug. 12, Minister of Emergency Preparedness Harjit Sajjan approved a request for federal assistance from the N.W.T. government, authorizing the Canadian Armed Forces to supply firefighting resources and Ottawa to give funding and evacuation assistance.

On Aug. 17, Mr. Sajjan said the situation in the territory had “continued to worsen” and encouraged residents to listen to evacuation orders.

“Our thoughts are with residents who are being asked to evacuate and those who have already left their communities. This is a very difficult time, and I would like to assure those affected that all orders of government are working together to deliver the required help,” he said.