[1/4] Vehicles leave Yellowknife on the only highway in or out of the city after a state of emergency was declared due to the proximity of a wildfire, in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada August 16, 2023.
REUTERS/Pat Kane Acquire Licensing RightsAug 17 (Reuters) - Canadian fire crews battled early on Thursday to prevent wildfires from reaching the northern city of Yellowknife, where all 20,000 residents are leaving after an evacuation order was declared.
Water bombers flew low over Yellowknife as thick smoke blanketed the capital of the vast and sparsely populated Northwest Territories.
This is Canada's worst-ever wildfire season with more than 1,000 active fires burning across the country, including 265 in the Northwest Territories.
The deadline for residents to leave Yellowknife is noon local time on Friday (1800 GMT).
Persons:
Pat Kane, Justin Trudeau, Rebecca Alty, Alty, Mike Westwick, Diamond, De Beers, Lytton, Divya Rajagopal, Devika Syamnath, David Gregorio Our
Organizations:
Vehicles, REUTERS, Water, Territories, Canadian Broadcasting Corp, CBC, Thomson
Locations:
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, Territories, Alberta, Hay, Fort McMurray, British Columbia, Toronto