'Crisis situation': N.W.T. declares territorial state of emergency over fires
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The government of the Northwest Territories declared a territorial state of emergency on Tuesday as it continues to grapple with an extraordinary season and multiple evacuations.
The declaration will allow the territory 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," according to a news release on Tuesday afternoon.
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"We find ourselves in a crisis situation and our government is using every tool available to assist," said Environment Minister Shane Thompson in a statement.
The move comes a day after Thompson said there was no need to declare a territorial state of emergency, as the government had the resources it needed to handle things and an emergency declaration would simply "cause more stress."
Yellowknife, N.W.T., wildfire smoke on Aug. 13, 2023. (Meghan Roberts/CBC)
Evacuation alert issued for parts of Yellowknife
An evacuation alert was issued Tuesday evening for Kam Lake, Grace Lake and the Engle Business District.
The announcement came from Rebecca Alty, Yellowknife's mayor, in an interview with Meghan Roberts, host of CBC's Northbeat.
She said the evacuation alert is precautionary and that residents in those areas should be prepared to leave on short notice.
All three areas are on the western side of the city. Kam Lake is both a residential and industrial area, Grace Lake is a newer residential area.
The Engle Business District is an industrial area that includes the SPCA and a fuel tank farm. The city spent the past two days clear cutting trees around this area. Alty, who was born and raised in Yellowknife, said this is first evacuation alert for the city that she can remember.
Alty said that although the alert is just for those areas, all residents should be prepared.
A map showing the wildfires surrounding Yellowknife, Ndilǫ and Dettah on Tuesday. The territorial government declared a state of emergency on Tuesday as it grapples with an extraordinary wildfire season. (Submitted by the N.W.T. government)
The N.W.T. is currently dealing with hundreds of active fires across the territory, several communities under evacuation orders and other areas under evacuation alerts. Some communities have been ravaged by fire, telecommunications services are down in some areas, and the capital city was put under a local state of emergency on Monday as a large wildfire moved closer.
Services had also been reduced at Stanton Territorial Hospital in Yellowknife as of Tuesday. The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is ramping down services, with some ICU patients moving to the ER, and others possibly being flown to Alberta. Some extended care unit residents may also be flown south. Operating room services are also being reduced to urgent and emergent cases only.
Thomspon, along with N.W.T. Premier Caroline Cochrane and Health Minister Julie Green, are scheduled to hold a news conference at 7 p.m. MT on Tuesday about the fires and evacuations. A representative from the City of Yellowknife will also be there.
WATCH: Huge wildfire smoke plumes blanket sky in Northwest Territories
Thumbnail courtesy of Luke Carroll/CBC.
This article was originally published for CBC News.
