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☆ Six Dead in Rio Tinto Plane Crash in Canada's Northwest Territories
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

By Nia Williams(Reuters) - Six people were killed after a small plane carrying Rio Tinto workers crashed near Fort Smith in Canada's remote Northwest Territories (NWT), the NWT Coroner Service said on Wednesday. Four passengers and two North Western Air Lease crew members died in the crash, Chief Coroner Garth Eggenberger said in a statement, adding the plane had been travelling from Fort Smith en route to the Diavik Diamond Mine. There was one survivor who was treated at the Fort Smith Health Centre before being taken to hospital in the provincial capital Yellowknife. Rio Tinto Chief Executive Jakob Stausholm said in a statement on Tuesday night that the company was devastated by the crash. (Reporting by Nia Williams in British Columbia, Editing by Franklin Paul and Chizu Nomiyama)

Persons: Nia Williams, Garth Eggenberger, Jakob Stausholm, Franklin Paul, Chizu Organizations: Reuters, Tinto, Northwest Territories, NWT, Service, Western Air Lease, Fort Smith Health, Yellowknife . Rio Tinto Chief Locations: Fort Smith, Northwest, Yellowknife . Rio, British Columbia

FORT SMITH, Northwest Territories (AP) — The death toll from a small plane crash in Canada's Northwest Territories was six, authorities said Wednesday. The Northwest Territories coroner’s office said that four passengers and two crew members from Northwestern Air Lease were killed in Tuesday's crash, while a lone survivor was taken to a hospital and later airlifted to Yellowknife. The plane took off from the airport in Fort Smith, and then crashed near the banks of the Slave River. The town of Fort Smith is about 2,100 kilometers (1,300 miles) northeast of Vancouver, British Columbia, near the border between Alberta and the Northwest Territories. The Canadian military responded when the plane lost contact shortly after taking off near Fort Smith.

Persons: Rio, Jakob Stausholm Organizations: Northwestern Air Lease, Rio Tinto Locations: SMITH, Northwest Territories, Canada's Northwest Territories, Rio Tinto, Territories, Yellowknife, Fort Smith, Rio, “, Vancouver , British Columbia, Alberta

☆ Fort Smith, Canada plane crash: Fatalities reported including Rio Tinto employees in Northwest Territories
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Sara Smart | Aya Elamroussi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

In response to the crash, Fort Smith Health Centre activated its mass casualty protocol around 8:50 a.m. on Tuesday, according to Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority. The crash also drew responses from the Royal Canadian Mounted Patrol, the Canadian Rangers and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Investigators with the Northwest Territories coroner’s office and the Transportation Safety Board were also sent to Fort Smith following the crash. Following the crash Tuesday morning, Fort Smith officials asked to stay away from the crash site to allow officials to respond. “Please be advised that an aviation incident occurred this morning,” the town of Fort Smith said in a post on Facebook.

Persons: Fort Smith, Garth Eggenberger, R.J, Simpson, David Lavallee, Lavallee, ” Organizations: CNN, Rio Tinto, Northwest, “, Fort Smith Health Centre, Northwest Territories Health, Social Services Authority, Royal Canadian Mounted Patrol, Canadian Rangers, Royal Canadian Air Force, Transportation, British Aerospace Jetstream, Northwestern Air Lease, Board of Canada, Northwestern Air Lease’s, RCAF, CNN Canada, CBC News, CC, Hercules, RCMP, CBC, Fort, Facebook, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, TSB Locations: Canada’s Northwest Territories, Fort, Rio, Northwest Territories, Winnipeg, Otter, Yellowknife, Trenton, Calgary

The Canadian government says it is urgently trying to end the forced sterilization of Indigenous women, describing the practice as a human rights violation and a prosecutable offense. Yet police say they will not pursue a criminal investigation into a recent case in which a doctor apologized for his “unprofessional conduct” in sterilizing an Inuit woman. In July, The Associated Press reported on the case of an Inuit woman in Yellowknife who had surgery in 2019 aimed at relieving her abdominal pain. “This is a pivotal case for Canada because it shows that forced sterilization is still happening,” said Dr. Unjali Malhotra, of the First Nations Health Authority in British Columbia. Political Cartoons View All 1182 ImagesBut the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said they would not be investigating Kotaska, because the woman hasn't filed a criminal complaint.

Persons: Andrew Kotaska, sterilize, ”, Unjali Malhotra, “, ” Kotaska, hasn't, Steven Cooper, Lisa Kelly, ” Kelly, Kelly, ” Sen, Yvonne Boyer, ” Boyer, Kotaska, ” Emma Cunliffe Organizations: Associated Press, First Nations Health Authority, AP, Canadian, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, RCMP, Queen’s University, University of British, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group Locations: sterilizing, Yellowknife, Canada, British Columbia, Ontario, Northwest Territories, University of British Columbia

☆ After 3 Weeks of Wildfire Exile, a City of 20,000 Returns
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Ian Austen | More About Ian Austen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Twenty-two days after they were evacuated from the capital of the Northwest Territories in the face of a racing wildfire, the roughly 20,000 residents of Yellowknife began returning home on Wednesday to refrigerators filled with spoiled food to restart their lives in a city that averted disaster. Cars and trucks bearing the territory’s distinctive polar-bear-shaped license plate took to the road after officials declared on Monday that it would most likely be safe to return on Wednesday. The last highway roadblock impeding access was lifted at 11 a.m. local time, earlier than expected, and scheduled airline flights resumed on Wednesday. The first two of a series of evacuee flights on chartered and military aircraft from the Alberta cities of Edmonton and Calgary, which both hosted thousands of Yellowknife residents, arrived on Wednesday. (To drive from Edmonton, the closest major city, takes about 24 hours.)

Organizations: Northwest Locations: Northwest Territories, Yellowknife, Alberta, Edmonton, Calgary

☆ Entire town of Hay river in Canada ordered to leave as wildfires encroach
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Aug 25 (Reuters) - Wildfires in Canada's Northwest Territories on Friday forced the evacuation of the entire town of Hay River, a community of about 4,000 people on the Great Slave Lake, authorities said. The government of the Northwest Territories ordered everyone in town, including essential workers, to go to the Hay River Merlyn Carter Airport and await further instructions. "Anyone who remains in Hay River is doing so at their own risk," the Northwest Territories government said in an alert posted at 3:23 p.m. local time on Friday. Canada is experiencing its worst wildfire season on record and in the past week more than 50,000 people, including the entire population of the Northwest Territories' capital Yellowknife, have been forced to flee their homes. Mail service to numerous communities in the Northwest Territories has also been impacted by the fires, the government said in a later alert.

Persons: Hay, Carter, Sharon Bernstein, Sandra Maler Organizations: Northwest, Northwest Territories, Thomson Locations: Canada's Northwest Territories, Hay, Northwest Territories, Canada, Northwest, Yellowknife, Sacramento , California

☆ British Columbia lifts most travel restrictions as Canada wildfires ease
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Nia Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The restrictions barred non-essential travel to communities in the province's interior including Kelowna, Vernon and Kamloops and were due to expire at midnight. The measure will remain in place for West Kelowna. Flames burned nearly 200 homes in Kelowna and West Kelowna, officials said, but conditions were slowly improving even though smoke continued to blanket the province. "I really am beginning to feel like we're turning the corner here on this fire," West Kelowna fire chief Jason Brolund told a news conference. "...The efforts in partnership with the federal government, with First Nations and others on recovery has started already," British Columbia Premier David Eby told a news conference in West Kelowna.

Persons: David Eby, Chad Hipolito, Jason Brolund, Columbia Premier David Eby, Nia Williams, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: British, REUTERS Acquire, West, Northwest Territories, Flames, Kelowna and, First Nations, Columbia Premier, Thomson Locations: Kamloops, Canada, British Columbia, Kelowna, Vernon, West Kelowna, Northwest, Yellowknife, Kelowna and West Kelowna, Hay River, Fort Smith, Alberta

☆ Canadian Officials Condemn Facebook for News Ban as Wildfires Burn
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Remy Tumin | More About Remy Tumin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But instead of simply sharing a link to a story about the wildfires from CPAC, the Cable Public Affairs Channel, the city instructed residents to look up the information on a search engine. “Google: CPAC Canada or www . In the midst of a natural disaster, Yellowknife had to navigate around Facebook’s decision to block news articles on its platform in Canada. Meta, Facebook’s parent company, began rolling out the ban on Aug. 1 in response to a new Canadian law that requires tech companies to pay news outlets for using their content. Canadian lawmakers passed the Online News Act in June, requiring social media platforms like Meta and search engines like Google to negotiate with news publishers to license their content.

Persons: Meta, ” Organizations: Northwest, Facebook, Cable Public Affairs Channel, Google, Meta Locations: Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, CPAC

☆ Quebec, Canada wildfires made twice as likely through climate change
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The severity of Quebec’s fire season up to the end of July was also made 50% more intense by climate change, according to the report. French firefighters try to extinguish wildfires at Lac Larouche in Quebec, Canada, on June 28, 2023. It is by far the worst wildfire season Canada has ever experienced, and there are still more than two months left to go. They then used climate models to understand the role climate change played. Climate change also made the peak fire weather in Quebec during the same period at least twice as likely and 20% more intense, according to the report.

Persons: Friederike Otto, It’s, ”, Clair Barnes, Emma UIISC7, David Dee Delgado, “, James MacDonald, Kira Hoffman, ” Hoffman, Michael Flannigan, Otto Organizations: CNN, WWA, Grantham Institute, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Canada, Bloomberg, University of British, Research, “, Predictive Services, Emergency Management, Thompson Rivers University Locations: Canada, Quebec, Illinois, Canadian, Western Europe, Bronx, New York City, Northwest Territories, Yellowknife, British Columbia, Cameron, Port Alberni , British Columbia, University of British Columbia

☆ Warming Set the Stage for Canada’s Record Fires, Study Finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Raymond Zhong | More About Raymond Zhong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

So far this year, fires have ravaged 37 million acres across nearly every Canadian province and territory. That’s more than twice as large as the amount of Canadian land that burned in any other year on record. Tens of thousands of people — including most of Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories — have fled their homes. The way fires spread and grow is shaped by the structure and composition of the forests and landscape. This likelihood is at least double what it would be in a hypothetical world without human-caused climate change, they said.

Organizations: Northwest, Northwest Territories — Locations: Canada, Canadian, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Atlanta

REUTERS/Dan Riedlhuber/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Aug 22 (Reuters) - The fires that tore through the Canadian province of Quebec between May and July were made at least twice as likely by climate change, scientists said on Tuesday. Climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, also made the fires as much as 50% more intense, according to the analysis by World Weather Attribution group, a global team of scientists that examines the role played by climate change in extreme weather. "Climate change is greatly increasing the flammability of the fuel available for wildfires – this means that a single spark, regardless of its source, can rapidly turn into a blazing inferno," said Yan Boulanger, a research scientist at Natural Resources Canada. Scientists reviewed weather data, including temperature, windspeed, humidity, and precipitation, and used computer models to assess how climate change had altered fire weather this year, comparing it to preindustrial climate. The Quebec fires are just one sliver of what has been the country's worst wildfire season on record.

Persons: Dan Riedlhuber, Yan Boulanger, Philippe Gachon, Gloria Dickie, Devika Organizations: REUTERS, Natural Resources, University of Quebec, Canadian Interagency Forest Fire, Thomson Locations: Okanagan Lake, West Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, Canadian, Quebec, Natural Resources Canada, Montreal, Yellowknife, Territories, London

☆ Meta putting profit ahead of safety by blocking wildfire news, says Trudeau
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Ismail Shakil | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

OTTAWA, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday criticized Meta (META.O) for blocking domestic news from its platforms, saying the Facebook-parent was prioritizing profit over safety as devastating wildfires force tens of thousands to evacuate their homes. "Facebook is putting corporate profits ahead of people's safety," Trudeau told a televised news conference in the Atlantic province of Prince Edward Island, saying the company's actions were "inconceivable." [1/2]A satellite image shows wildfires burning near Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada August 16, 2023. Maxar Technologies/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsFederal Liberal cabinet ministers last week described the ban as reckless and irresponsible. Some people fleeing wildfires complained to domestic media that the ban prevented them from sharing important data about the fires.

Persons: Justin Trudeau, Meta, Trudeau, Prince Edward Island, Ismail Shakil, Steve Scherer, David Ljunggren, Mark Porter, Nick Macfie, Sandra Maler Organizations: OTTAWA, Canadian, Facebook, Maxar Technologies, REUTERS, Federal Liberal, Northwest Territories, Thomson Locations: Canada, Atlantic, Prince, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, British Columbia, Cornwall, NWT, Kelowna, Ottawa

☆ Cooler conditions bring some hope as Canada wildfires rage on
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Aug 21 (Reuters) - Wildfires ravaging Canada's British Columbia province are showing some signs of easing and the weather conditions should improve through Monday into Tuesday, through crews are still battling "epic" blazes, emergency officials said. Blazes are also raging further north as Canada reels from its worst wildfire season on record, which many experts have blamed on climate change. British Columbia, which sits on Canada's Pacific coast, could get some rains this week from Tropical Storm Hilary, which hit California on Sunday, forecasters have said. The air quality index in many fire-affected areas - including Central Okanagan, Eastern Fraser Valley, Kamloops - hit above 10 on Monday, signaling a high risk, the British Columbia government said. Fires continued to burn about 15 km from Yellowknife and it was unclear when they will reach the city, officials said.

Persons: Hilary, Jerrad Schroeder, Jason Brolund, Brolund, Denny Thomas, Michael Perry, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Canada's, U.S ., Tropical, Kamloops Fire, British Columbia, Government, Northwest Territories, Canada's Department of National Defence, Canadian Broadcasting Corp, Thomson Locations: Canada's British Columbia, Canada, U.S, U.S . Pacific Northwest, British Columbia, California, Kamloops, Central Okanagan, Eastern Fraser Valley, British, New York, U.S . East Coast, Yellowknife, Northwest, West Kelowna

☆ Justin Trudeau blasts Facebook for blocking news as Canada’s wildfires rage
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau blasted Facebook for “putting corporate profits ahead of people’s safety” as the social media platform continues to block news content while wildfires rage in Canada’s Northwest Territories and British Columbia. Also on Monday, Trudeau described the devastation wrought by the wildfires as “apocalyptic” and praised Canadians for stepping up to support evacuees. The Canadian legislation, known as Bill C-18 or the Online News Act, was given final approval in June. During his remarks Monday, Trudeau said Facebook’s move to block news content is “bad for democracy” in the long run. “But right now, in an emergency situation, where up-to-date local information is more important than ever, Facebook’s putting corporate profits ahead of people’s safety,” Trudeau said.

Persons: Justin Trudeau, ” Trudeau, Trudeau, Meta, “, Bill C, Facebook’s, Brian Fung Organizations: CNN, Canadian, Facebook, Northwest Locations: Canada’s Northwest Territories, British Columbia, Northwest Territories, Canada, Yellowknife, Kelowna

☆ As fires rage in British Columbia, more residents prepare for evacuations
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

By Saturday, more than 35,000 residents were under an evacuation order and another 30,000 were under an evacuation alert. Ministers and government officials urged residents living in evacuation order zones to take immediate action, in the interest of their own lives and that of the firefighters. British Columbia Premier Daniel Eby also imposed a ban on non-essential travel on Saturday, in order to free-up accommodation for evacuees and firefighters. Forest fires are not uncommon in Canada, but the spread of blazes and disruptions underscore the severity of its worst wildfire season yet. The fires have drained local resources and drawn in federal government assistance as well as support from 13 countries.

Persons: Columbia Premier Daniel Eby, Krista Flesjer, Kip Lumquist, Denny Thomas, Kim Coghill Organizations: U.S ., U.S . Pacific Northwest, Ministers, Columbia Premier, Authorities, Government, REUTERS Acquire, Thomson Locations: British Columbia, Kelowna, Vancouver, U.S, U.S . Pacific, Canada, New York, U.S . East Coast, Squilax, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Chase, Hope, Lytton, Craigellachie

☆ Canada to deploy military in British Columbia to tackle fast-spreading fires
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( Nia Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Summary British Columbia declares state of emergency after wildfiresFlames have led to evacuation orders for more than 35,000 peopleAQI of some British Columbia cities at 'hazardous' levelsREVELSTOKE, British Columbia, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Canada is sending the military to tackle fast-spreading wildfires in British Columbia, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Sunday, as the western province deals with flames that have led to evacuation orders for more than 35,000 people. In some cities in British Columbia, the air quality index (AQI), which measures major pollutants including particulate matter produced by fires, was above 350, a "hazardous" level, IQAir, a real-time air quality information platform showed. West Kelowna fire chief Jason Brolund said he saw some hope after battling "epic" fires for the past four days. Since 2009, Canada has been spending more on fighting and suppressing wildfires than on maintaining its firefighting personnel and program. In British Columbia, the TransCanada highway was closed near Chase, about 400 km (250 miles) northeast of Vancouver.

Persons: Justin Trudeau, Jason Brolund, that's, Brolund, Trudeau, Krista Flesjer, Kip Lumquist, Lumquist, Nia Williams, Dan Whitcomb, Nilutpal, Denny Thomas, Mark Porter, Matthew Lewis, Lisa Shumaker, Gerry Doyle, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Columbia, Flames, British Columbia, Kelowna College, ., Canadian Broadcasting Corp, Reuters, U.S ., Canadian, REUTERS Acquire, Government, Thomson Locations: Columbia, REVELSTOKE, British Columbia, Canada, British, Kelowna, U.S, U.S . Pacific Northwest, Washington, Oregon, Squilax, Kamloops, New York, U.S . East Coast, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Chase, Vancouver, Craigellachie, Los Angeles, Bengaluru

☆ Fire tourists, drone fliers told to stay clear of British Columbia blazes
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] People walk on a marina as smoke from wildfires hangs low in the Lake Okanagan city of Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada August 19, 2023. REUTERS/Chris Helgren Acquire Licensing RightsAug 19 (Reuters) - Wildfire tourists and drone operators who could be impeding the work of firefighters are being told by British Columbia officials that they are unwelcome while fast moving and unpredictable forest fires rage in the Canadian province. More than 35,000 people were under evacuation order by Saturday following British Columbia Premier David Eby's declaration of a state of emergency late on Friday, giving authorities more powers to tackle fire-related risks. Some 3,400 workers are involved in firefighting in British Columbia in western Canada. "Leaving Yellowknife, you're driving into the smoke," the 33-year old said of his 20-hour journey home to Calgary in Alberta province.

Persons: Chris Helgren, British Columbia Premier David Eby's, Bruce Ralston, Eby, Ralston, Ma, that's, Brent Saulnier, I've, Denny Thomas, George Sargent, Grant McCool Organizations: REUTERS, British Columbia, British Columbia Premier, Emergency Management, Climate Readiness, Thomson Locations: Lake Okanagan, Kelowna , British Columbia, Canada, British, Canadian, British Columbia, Canada's Northwest Territories, Yellowknife, Calgary, Alberta, Toronto

☆ British Columbia residents on high alert as wildfires force state of emergency
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( Chris Helgren | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Pat Kane Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies City of Yellowknife FollowKELOWNA, British Columbia, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Thousands of British Columbia residents were on high evacuation alert on Saturday after rapidly intensifying wildfires forced the western Canadian province to declare a state of emergency. By Friday, an out-of-control fire in southern British Columbia grew more than hundredfold in 24 hours and forced more than 2,400 properties to be evacuated. "This is an historic wildfire season for British Columbia," Eby told a briefing. "The state of emergency declaration ... communicates to people across the province the seriousness of the deteriorating situation," Eby said. The escalation in British Columbia comes as the northern Canadian city of Yellowknife evacuated most of its roughly 20,000 residents due to a large approaching blaze.

Persons: Pat Kane, Daniel Eby, Eby, Ismail Shakil, Denny Thomas, Kim Coghill Organizations: REUTERS, British Columbia, Northwest Territories, Thomson Locations: Yellowknife, Fort Providence, Northwest Territories, Canada, City, KELOWNA , British Columbia, British Columbia, Canadian, Kelowna, Vancouver, British, West Kelowna, New York, Northwest, Ottawa

☆ British Columbia Wildfire in Photos: ‘A Long-Lasting Scar’
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( Ian Austen | More About Ian Austen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The fire-ravaged Canadian province of British Columbia was under a state of emergency for the second day, as a wildfire in and around the resort city of Kelowna continued to consume houses. The fire is one of two in Canada that have led thousands to evacuate their homes in the last week. Hundreds of miles away from Kelowna, a wildfire converging on the city of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, led officials to order a mass evacuation of the entire town. Officials rated the risk of that wildfire to be extreme on Saturday and Sunday and high on Monday. Rebecca Alty, the mayor of Yellowknife, a city of about 20,000, said an estimated 1,600 residents were defying evacuation orders and remained in the city.

Persons: Rebecca Alty Organizations: British Columbia, Firefighters Locations: Canadian, British, Kelowna, Canada, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories

☆ Meta's news ban is preventing Canadians from sharing vital information about the wildfires ripping through western Canada
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( Katie Hawkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Now, residents say the ban has prevented people from sharing vital news as wildfires tear through western Canada. Canadians say Meta's news ban is having tangible consequences as they try to share news about a series of devastating wildfires prompting evacuations in Northwest Territories and British Columbia. Here, residents are posting copied-and-pasted versions of news articles and live reported updates to circumvent the ban and continue sharing vital information about the wildfires. As of August 19, there are more than 200 active wildfires in the Northwest Territories. A Meta spokesperson told Insider in a statement that people in Canada can still use other features to share information about the wildfires.

Persons: Meta, Pascale St, Onge, Poul Osted, Osted Organizations: Canada's, Meta, Google, Facebook, Heritage, Northwest, CBC Locations: Canada, Northwest Territories, British Columbia, Yellowknife, Yellowknife —, Kelowna

Canada’s wildfire plague widened on Friday, with Yellowknife’s 20,000 residents rushing to meet a deadline to evacuate, while blazes hundreds of miles away threatened Kelowna, a much larger city in British Columbia. The mass migration from Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories, was the biggest mandatory evacuation so far in Canada’s summer of wildfire disasters. By midday, it remained unclear how many of Yellowknife’s residents had heeded the order as an encroaching fire loomed, but parts of the city appeared empty and most stores appeared closed. In Kelowna, a major resort area, homes on its suburban fringes were on fire and orders to evacuate were decreed in a community where several homes were destroyed on Thursday night and others were burning on Friday.

Locations: Kelowna, British Columbia, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories

☆ Yellowknife, Northwest Territories: Thousands scramble to evacuate capital of Canadian territory as more than 200 'unprecedented' wildfires blanket region
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Elizabeth Wolfe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The capital city of Yellowknife – home to about 20,000 – and several other Northwest Territories communities have been ordered to evacuate as crews battle 236 active wildfires in the region. The infernos in the Northwest Territories are among more than 1,000 fires burning across Canada as the country endures its worst fire season on record. The Canadian Armed Forces are assisting with firefighting and airlifting efforts in the Northwest Territories. “We’re all tired of the word unprecedented, yet there is no other way to describe this situation in the Northwest Territories,” Premier Caroline Cochrane said in a statement Wednesday night. “Evacuation flights should be used as a last resort for those who do not have the option to evacuate by road,” territory officials said.

Persons: Justin Trudeau, “, ” Premier Caroline Cochrane, Bill Braden, Ruoy Pineda, ” Pineda, ”, We’ve, we’ll Organizations: CNN, Canadian, Canadian Armed Forces, Royal Canadian Air Force, ” Premier, CBC, Canadian Press Locations: Canada’s, Territories, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, “, Edmonton

Aug 18 (Reuters) - A massive wildfire in Canada's western province of British Columbia prompted more evacuation orders early on Friday, as firefighters race against advancing flames to move all residents from the remote northern city of Yellowknife to safety. The evacuation orders were issued after wildfires that were discovered on Tuesday jumped Lake Okanagan, sparking spot wildfires in Kelowna. The massive fire to the northwest of Yellowknife only advanced by around one kilometer on Thursday, officials said, held back by winds. It is now about 15 km away from the city and authorities expect the fires to reach the outskirts of Yellowknife by the weekend. Officials in British Columbia, which has suffered unusually intense blazes this year, warned residents to prepare for extreme fire conditions.

Persons: Nobody, Tebbia Teoncey, Jennifer Gauthier, Mike Westwick, Bowinn Ma, Dan Whitcomb, David Ljunggren, Ismail Shakil, Denny Thomas, Stephen Coates, Sharon Singleton Organizations: British Columbia, REUTERS, Yellowknife, City of, Emergency Management, Thomson Locations: British, Yellowknife, Kelowna, Vancouver, Kelowna ., Northwest Territories, Edmonton , Alberta, Canada, British Columbia, City, City of West Kelowna, Ottawa

☆ Canada wildfires: what are the causes and when will it end?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Here are some questions and answers about Canada's wildfires, which have charred millions of hectares and polluted the air in that nation and the U.S.WHAT PARTS OF CANADA HAVE WILDFIRES HIT? Wildfires are common in Canada's western provinces, but this year the eastern provinces of Nova Scotia, Quebec and parts of Ontario have also reeled from out-of-control wildfires. This week, the focus returned to the west, as wildfires burned about 16 km (10 miles) northwest of Yellowknife, the capital of the vast, sparsely populated Northwest Territories. As of Wednesday, there were 1,054 active wildfires in Canada, including 230 in the Northwest Territories and 669 deemed out of control, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center. Widespread spring fires across the whole of Canada are also unusual, and research shows fire seasons across North America are getting longer.

Persons: Pat Kane, Mike Westwick, De Beers, Lytton, Fort Smith, Justin Trudeau, Ellen Whitman, David Ljunggren, Divya Rajagopal, Ismail Shakil, Rod Nickel, Jonathan Oatis, Josie Kao Organizations: REUTERS, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canadian Interagency Forest Fire, Reuters Graphics, Northwest, Enterprise, Northwest Territories, Diamond, Atlantic Canada, Canadian, Canadian Forest Service, Thomson Locations: Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, U.S, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Territories, British Columbia, Alberta, YELLOWKNIFE, Northwest, Hay, Fort McMurray, United States, Fort, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Toronto, East Coast, New York, Washington, Chicago, North America

Smoke hangs in the air on the outskirts of Yellowknife after a state of emergency was declared due to the proximity of a wildfire in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada August 16, 2023. "We have put in place a cap on our fares for non-stop flights out of Yellowknife," said Air Canada, the country's largest carrier, in a statement. Air Canada said it has cancelled flights out of Yellowknife on Saturday to comply with the evacuation order given by the Northwest Territories government. This is how Air Canada plans on helping?" Canada's Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez will be speaking with Air Canada today to receive an update on the situation on the ground, a spokesperson said.

Persons: Smoke, Pat Kane, WestJet, Pablo Rodriguez, Allison Lampert, Ismail Shakhil, Josie Kao Organizations: REUTERS, Air Canada, WestJet Airlines, Canada's, . Air, Northwest Territories, Air, Facebook, Thomson Locations: Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, Canadian, Calgary, . Air Canada, Air Canada, Montreal, Ottawa

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