Saskatchewan sends firefighters to help in Northwest Territories

As wildfires continue to burn across the Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan is sending help.

The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) released a statement Thursday explaining the assistance the provincial government is offering.

“The Government of Saskatchewan is prepared to provide temporary accommodation for evacuees if required, along with direct support fighting the fires in NWT,” the agency said.

On Thursday, the SPSA sent a five-person incident management team and 40 wildland firefighters to the Northwest Territories. The agency said the group departed from Prince Albert on Thursday morning, and it’s expected to remain in the territory for about two weeks.

Another 16 Saskatchewan firefighters are currently in the Yukon helping to contain other fires, the SPSA noted.

In Yellowknife, a state of emergency has been declared and residents are being ordered to evacuate.

Ethan Montague, a reporter with 100.1 True North FM in Yellowknife, said the city declared the state of emergency as a pre-emptive measure to ensure people can use the only highway serving the capital city while it’s still open.

“The big concern right now is if the highway closes, then people won’t be able to leave by car,” said Montague.

The City of Yellowknife is encouraging residents to evacuate by noon on Friday. Red Deer, Fox Creek and Valley View all have free evacuation centres available for Yellowknife residents.

People who are at high risk of health issues due to the heavy smoke in the area are being flown to Calgary.

“They are prioritizing people who are immunocompromised or have otherwise adverse impacts by the smoke,” explained Montague. “Those people are prioritized with the flights, so they are being evacuated before everyone else.”

Those who are unable to leave with their vehicles have begun to line up to try and get onto a flight to Calgary. According to Montague, flights will continue to leave daily, even past the Friday evacuation deadline.

Meanwhile, some residents were working to prepare Yellowknife in case the fire does reach the city limits, Montague said.

“The best way people were helping was by helping dig out the trench,” said Montague. “The city is completely surrounded by fire breaks, just to prevent the flames from reaching the city.”

Montague said it’s important for people in the area to listen for updates.

“We are in an emergency scenario. This is serious. It’s important that people get out and get to safety,” said Montague. “We don’t need anybody to lose their life because of something preventable.”