Western Canada: Thousands of NWT residents displaced as wildfires rip through territory

Good morning. Wendy Cox in Vancouver today.

This time, it’s the Northwest Territories’s turn.

So far this year, wildfires have destroyed homes and sent people running from Halifax and parts of Quebec. A helicopter pilot fighting fires in Alberta last month became the third fatality on the front lines in this year of flames and later in the month, a fourth was killed while fighting fires in British Columbia.

Now, residents in Hay River are being airlifted out as flames encroach upon the community.

Ramanda Sanderson explained to Globe reporter Alanna Smith that she had to evacuate twice in a 24-hour period, joining thousands of NWT residents displaced because of 236 wind-fuelled wildfires ripping through the territory.

Flames drove Ms. Sanderson out of her home in Fort Smith on Saturday and again from what was supposed to be a safe haven, Hay River, on Sunday.

Ms. Sanderson, now staying with relatives in the Paddle Prairie Métis Settlement in Alberta, said the stress of evacuating twice is like nothing she has experienced – “Minutes feel like hours and days never seem to end.” In her convoy were 23 people, including her fiancé and family members.

Hay River Mayor Kandis Jameson said roughly 500 people in a town of about 3,500, including some seniors, have yet to evacuate after being ordered to on Sunday. The Kakisa fire burned about 30 kilometres toward the town in a few short hours on the weekend, ravaging homes and other structures in its path, and forcing the closings of the only two highways out of the community.

But Ms. Jameson said the biggest concern is communicating with those who are left. Most residents of Hay River don’t have access to the internet, cellular services or landline telephones because of wildfire disruptions and it’s unclear when they will be restored. The town can’t issue alerts and people can’t call for emergency services.

Instead, community leaders are relying on word-of-mouth, e-mail, radio and, in part, social media. There is no hospital, no gas, no pharmacy, stressed Ms. Jameson.

“It is life-threatening to be here,” she said during a news conference on Tuesday, urging any residents still sheltering at home to find transport out of Hay River immediately.

The fire, the mayor added, is now about 15 kilometres from the town.

Officials say the unprecedented wildfires in the NWT require the largest airlift in its history with people under evacuation orders in Enterprise, Fort Smith, Hay River, the K’atl’odeeche First Nation and Jean Marie River. Homeowners in the areas of North Prosperous Lake, North Prelude Lake, River Lake and on a stretch of Highway 3 must also leave their homes.

Extremely hot and dry conditions in British Columbia and Alberta mean those provinces are also under threat of an explosive situation.

The 10 hottest communities in Canada were all located in B.C. on Monday and the blistering temperatures are not expected to lower for at least a few days. In the province’s Interior, the communities of Lytton and Lillooet both broke the 40 C mark on Monday with other communities expected to join the 40-plus club.

The province’s wildlife service said a cold front from the northwest is due Thursday and will hit the high-pressure system, raising the alarm for further wildfire activity as it brings heat, strong winds and lightning without rain.

Meanwhile, most of southern Alberta is under heat warnings from Environment Canada, issued when very high temperatures are expected to increase health risks.

The agency said daytime highs are expected to reach between 30 to 35 C until at least Friday. In Calgary, outdoor water restrictions were put in place on Tuesday as the city deals with drought conditions as well.

This is the weekly Western Canada newsletter written by B.C. Editor Wendy Cox and Alberta Bureau Chief Mark Iype. If you’re reading this on the web, or it was forwarded to you from someone else, you can sign up for it and all Globe newsletters here.