City empties as thousands flee huge wildfire closing in on capital of Canada’s Northwest Territories

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Residents heeded warnings to evacuate the capital of Canada’s Northwest Territories as a massive wildfire burned toward the city of 20,000 Friday, while firefighters battled a growing fire that set homes ablaze in a city in British Columbia.

Thousands of people in Yellowknife drove hundreds of kilometers (miles) to safety, with authorities guiding motorists through fire zones, while others waited in long lines lines for emergency flights as the worst fire season on record in Canada showed no signs of easing.

Airtankers flew missions to keep the only route out of Yellowknife open. Meanwhile, a network of fire guards, sprinklers and water cannons was established to try to protect the city from the fire.

Fire Information Officer Mike Westwick told The Associated Press by phone Friday evening that the fire was still 15 kilometers (9 miles) northwest of the the city, partly because cooler temperatures helped slow its advance and clear some smoke, meaning air tankers could safely fly and drop fire retardant.

Even so, “we’ve got the wrong kind of wind coming” from the west and northwest and no rain in the forecast, Westwick warned.

The fire, caused by lightning more than a month ago, is about 1,670 square kilometers (644 square miles) and “not going way anytime soon,” he said, adding that the blaze has jumped three different containment lines, fueled by dry weather and dense forests.

“We’ve still got some really difficult days ahead. There’s no denying that,” Westwick said earlier Friday.

Gas stations that still had fuel were open Friday, though the city was virtually empty, with one grocery store, a pharmacy and a bar still open.

“It’s kind of like having a pint at the end of the world,” said Kieron Testart, who went door-to-door in the nearby First Nation communities of Dettah and NDilo to check on people. Indigenous communities have been hit hard by the wildfires, which threaten important cultural activities such as hunting, fishing and gathering native plants.

Hundreds of kilometers (miles) south of Yellowknife, homes were burning in West Kelowna, British Columbia, a city of about 38,000, after a wildfire grew “exponentially worse” than expected overnight, the fire chief said.

Residents had already been ordered to evacuate 2,400 properties, while an additional 4,800 properties were on evacuation alert. The BC Wildfire Service said the fire grew six times larger overnight and it stretched over 68 square kilometers (26 square miles).

Some first responders became trapped while rescuing people who failed to evacuate, said Jason Brolund, chief of the West Kelowna fire department, who said residents face another “scary night.” There was no known loss of life.

“There were a number of risks taken to save lives and property last night,” Brolund said at a news conference, describing how first responders had to rescue people who jumped into a lake to avoid the flames. “It didn’t have to be that way.”