Residents of the capital of Canada's Northwest Territories are fleeing an approaching wildfire in long convoys of cars, while air evacuations are underway for those who cannot leave by road.
Residents of the capital of Canada's Northwest Territories are fleeing an approaching wildfire in long convoys of cars, while air evacuations are underway for those who cannot leavThousands of residents fled the capital of Canada's Northwest Territories ahead of an approaching wildfire Thursday, some driving hundreds of miles to safety and others signing up for emergency flights, the latest chapter in Canada's worst fire season on record.
Canada has seen a record number of wildfires this year - contributing to choking smoke in parts of the U.S. - with more than 5,700 fires burning more than 137,000 square kilometers from one end of Canada to another, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. As of Thursday, 1,053 wildfires were burning across the country, more than half of them out of control.
About 6,800 people in eight other communities in the territory have already been forced to evacuate their homes, including the small community of Enterprise, which was largely destroyed. Officials said everyone made it out alive. Officials said evacuations have so far been safe and orderly, and that evacuees from Yellowknife who can't find their own accommodations can get support in three centers in the province of Alberta. The closest of those centers is more than 1,000 kilometers by road from Yellowknife.
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