Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to convene an urgent meeting with ministers and senior officials today as residents of the capital of Northwest Territories are ordered to evacuate the area because of an encroaching wildfire.
Trudeau, who is on vacation in Tofino, B.C., updated his itinerary Thursday to include an urgent meeting of the incident response group, a cabinet committee that typically consists of senior ministers and top officials.
Lifelong Yellowknife resident Chad Hinchey was on the road by 3 p.m. Wednesday, a couple of hours before residents were ordered to leave, and drove almost nine hours to High River in Northern Alberta.Chad Hinchey/Supplied
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A firefighting plane aids in the fight against wildfires raging near Yellowknife.SYLVIA WEBSTER/AFP/Getty Images
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Video screengrab provided Jordan Straker shows vehicles driving on the freeway as people evacuate from Yellowkife.JORDAN STRAKER/AFP/Getty Images
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People without vehicles lineup to register for a flight to Calgary, Alberta in Yellowknife.Bill Braden/The Canadian Press
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Wildfire smoke fills the air over Yellowknife.Bill Braden/The Canadian Press
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Yellowknife residents leave the city on Highway 3, the only highway in or out of the community, after an evacuation order was given due to the proximity of a wildfire in Yellowknife.PAT KANE/Reuters
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Smoke hangs in the air on the outskirts of Yellowknife.PAT KANE/Reuters
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A road sign provides updates on traffic conditions on the only highway in or out of Yellowknife.PAT KANE/Reuters
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Canadian Armed Forces soldiers from 2e Battalion, Royal 22e Regiment arriving in Yellowknife.Master Corporal Alana Morin/Supplied
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Canadian Armed Forces soldiers from 2e Battalion, Royal 22e Regiment and 5 Combat Engineer Regiment, construct a firebreak in Parker Recreation Field in Yellowknife.Master Corporal Alana Morin/Supplied
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Smoke from nearby wildfires fills the sky in Yellowknife.Angela Gzowski/The Canadian Press
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Jay Bulckaert and Robin Wasicuna clear trees from a backyard before an evacuation order was issued to entire city.PAT KANE/Reuters
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Canadian Armed Forces soldiers from 2e Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment and 5 Combat Engineer Regiment head to the forest behind Parker Recreation Field in Yellowknife.Master Corporal Alana Morin/Supplied
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Trees being cut and cleared to create a fire break near Yellowknife.PAT KANE/Reuters
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Workers clear trees and create a fire break near Yellowknife.PAT KANE/Reuters
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Jay Bulckaert and Karen Wasicuna cut down trees beside her home in Yellowknife before an evacuation order was issued to entire city.PAT KANE/Reuters
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Vehicles leave Yellowknife after a evacuation order was issued for the entire city.PAT KANE/Reuters
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Heavy smoke from nearby wildfires fills the sky in Yellowknife.Angela Gzowski/The Canadian Press
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Yellowknife residents leave the city on Highway 3, the only highway in or out of the community, after an evacuation order was given due to the proximity of a wildfire in Yellowknife.PAT KANE/Reuters
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Canadian Armed Forces soldiers from 2e Battalion, Royal 22e Regiment (2 R22eR), and 5 Combat Engineer Regiment, construct a firebreak in Parker Recreation Field in Yellowknife.Master Corporal Alana Morin/Supplied
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But it’s not yet clear who else is expected to be in attendance.
An update on the discussions is expected this afternoon.
Residents of Yellowknife and neighbouring communities have been ordered to leave by noon on Friday, and reception centres for Yellowknife evacuees are set to open at noon Thursday in three Alberta communities.
