Never ending fires. On Saturday, due to wind and high temperatures, the fires in Canada’s Far North are gaining ground, forcing the full evacuation of the town of Hay River, including firefighters and essential workers.
Thus the 4,000 inhabitants of this commune still on the spot were invited to go to the airport and to wait for new instructions. “Anyone who stays in Hay River does so at their own risk. There will be no emergency or response services available,” said the government of the Northwest Territories, where a state of emergency has been declared.
Two-thirds of the 41,000 inhabitants of this vast territory in the Canadian Far North are currently being evacuated to neighboring provinces, sometimes nearly 2,000 kilometers from their homes.
A wall of flames
“Extreme southwesterly winds brought the fire closer to the city along the highway, forcing crews and planes to pull back and regroup at a safe distance,” said Shane Thompson, Minister of Environment in this region, referring to a “very serious situation”. According to the authorities, the firefighters face a wall of flames of several kilometers.
Canada is experiencing the worst wildfire season in its history due in part to severe drought across much of the country and high temperatures in the North.
The bar of 15 million hectares burned was crossed this week, an area larger than Greece. This is already more than double the previous record recorded over a full fire season – which is not yet over this year. About 200,000 residents had to be evacuated, and four people died.