A look at fires, evacuations in N.W.T. and B.C.
Posted August 19, 2023 4:42 pm.
Thousands of people have been ordered to leave their homes as wildfires approach in the Northwest Territories, including some 20,000 people in the territorial capital of Yellowknife. Meanwhile, flames have devoured a number of houses as a wildfire burns in West Kelowna, a city in British Columbia’s interior. Here’s a look at the fires by the numbers:
Yellowknife
Distance between Yellowknife and the fire: about 15 kilometres
Size of the blaze: 1,669 square kilometres
Population of Yellowknife: approximately 20,000 people
Residents ordered to evacuate: all of Yellowknife and thousands in other N.W.T. communities
Percentage of residents who have evacuated: 95 per cent
Number of wildfires burning in the N.W.T: 236
West Kelowna
Size of the fire that has spread around West Kelowna: 105 square kilometres, but officials say it is likely larger
Population of West Kelowna: approximately 38,000 people
Number of West Kelowna properties ordered to evacuate: about 10,700
Number of West Kelowna properties on evacuation alert: about 9,500
Properties damaged: a “significant” number
Number of wildfires burning in B.C.: 380
This report by The Canadian Press was first published August 19, 2023.
The Canadian Press
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