Thousands scramble to evacuate capital of Canada's Northwest Territories as more than 200 'unprecedented' wildfires blanket region (https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/18/americas/canada-northwest-territories-wildfire-evacuation-friday/index.html)
QuoteThe Northwest Territories capital Yellowknife – home to about 20,000 – and several other Northwest Territories communities have been ordered to evacuate as crews battle 236 active wildfires, and a massive fire creeps toward the city and a major highway.
The infernos in the Northwest Territories are among more than 1,000 fires burning across Canada as the country endures its worst fire season on record. Smoke from the fires has drifted into the US, bringing harmful pollution and worsening air quality.
(https://i.imgur.com/nQYTp9y.png)
NASA fire data over last 24 hours.
(https://i.imgur.com/hpz3eWSl.jpeg)
If you're wondering how anyone manages to survive in the Formerly Frosty North:
1) those fire markers are not to scale
2) the vast majority of Canada's population lives very close to the US border (the majority of the US population also lives within 100 miles of its coast and/or land borders)
(https://i.imgur.com/qLZw5Gj.jpg)
Yellowknife is a bit of an outlier, a populated area more to the north than most of the others.
Got an expat friend who lives on a lake near Yellowknife. He's ready to fly out if necessary but isn't worried.
I have a vacation planned in Anchorage and surrounding areas at the end of the month. Is this likely to affect that area?
https://cwfis.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/interactive-map