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Wildfire in the Northwest Territories, Canada.
Photograph used by permission of the USDA Forest Service, CC SA 2.0.
The Northwest Territories declared a territorial state of emergency on Tuesday in response to out-of-control wildfires.
According to Reuters, Territorial authorities declared a state of emergency on Tuesday due to wildfires that have largely destroyed one remote community and are also posing a risk to the territorial capital Yellowknife.
“This allows the (government) to acquire and deploy the necessary resources to support the management of this unprecedented wildfire season, and protect the health and safety of Northwest Territories residents,” the territorial government said in a statement.
In a press release, the territorial government said the wildfires in the South Slave and North Slave regions are rapidly evolving, and the needs on the ground are changing quickly. Fort Smith and Hay River remain at risk due to wildfires burning in the South Slave region. Yellowknife is also at an increased risk due to a wildfire approaching from the west.
CTV News Canada is reporting that on Monday, the government issued warnings that advised residents to evacuate Hay River, Enterprise, K’atl’odeeche First Nation, Fort Smith, and surrounding areas as wildfires
The City of Yellowknife first declared a state of local emergency on Monday night. Hay River Mayor Kandis Jameson is also asking all residents to leave, despite flaws in communication.
The mayor told CTV News, “We can’t even send out an alert to tell you it’s coming at us or get to the muster stations because we don’t have communications.”
As of Tuesday, there were more than 230 active wildfires in the territory, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.
Canada is witnessing its worst wildfire season on record, with nearly 1,100 active fires across the country as of Tuesday, thanks to a drier-than-normal summer. A total of 13.2 million hectares (32.6 million acres) have burned so far – roughly the size of Greece.
Wildfires are also burning in British Columbia, where several heat warnings are in effect this week due to record-high temperatures.
Scientists say climate change increases the risk of hot, dry weather that is likely to fuel wildfires. Temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.
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