Temperature drops, rain falls as Yellowknife wildfire enters critical day
CBC
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Winds coming from the northwest Saturday could push the wildfire burning out of control near Yellowknife closer to city limits, but the N.W.T. capital saw some reprieve overnight as rain fell and temperatures cooled off.
It was 12 C in Yellowknife Saturday morning, though expected to heat up again Sunday. The wildfire is still roughly 15 kilometres away.
A formal update on the wildfire northwest of Yellowknife was a little delayed Saturday, but N.W.T. Fire said on Facebook that about four millimetres of rain fell — temporary relief. Meanwhile, about one millimetre of rain fell on the Ingraham Trail fire northeast of the city.
People driving out of the city Saturday can gas up at the Big River Service Station or in High Level, and gas will still be available in Steen River as well until 9 p.m. tonight. After that, Steen River's facility is closing.
Flights out of Yellowknife are starting to ramp down, with an estimated 95 per cent of Yellowknifers having already left. Many of those who remain are either essential workers or are involved with the emergency response, and many of those are expected to depart for Winnipeg Saturday.
The N.W.T. government said a flight will be leaving at 4 p.m. Saturday for people who show up at Sir John Franklin High School by 2 p.m. Bring your pets, and if you need a ride, call 867-444-0115.
Yellowknife Mayor Rebecca Alty said Saturday morning about 1,600 non-essential people remain in Yellowknife. She said there are still flights out if those people can't make the drive.
She repeated the call for those people to leave before the situation gets worse.
"If there's an emergency, we really want to focus on the emergency at hand, and not doing the emergency evacuation," she said.
With winds expected to gust toward Yellowknife, Alty said one of the main priorities for the city is still making sure people can leave.
She said the wildfire northwest of the city has been moving slower than forecasted, with good conditions for water bombers to fly.
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