More than 230 active wildfires are burning in Canada's Northwest Territories, including one outside the capital of Yellowknife, forcing 20,000 residents to flee.
Airtankers flew missions throughout Wednesday night to combat the blaze, according to the government's department of environment and climate change. Firefighting crews have been doing their best to put out hot spots, while others tried to protect cabins and other structures around Highway 3, the main road west out of Yellowknife. In the city itself, officials are taking protective measures including turning on sprinklers and creating fuel breaks.
"For the past week, I would look out the window and see how orange/smoky the skies are and that's really scary," Benito told NPR.story Wednesday while packing a box of her belongings. "What kept us entertained during the traffic/stops was to see that most of the cars with us had their pets with them," Benito said."It was heartwarming to see Canadians treat their pets like family."Benito drove overnight and had almost reached Edmonton — 900 miles from Yellowknife — by Thursday afternoon on her way to Calgary, which is another 180 miles away.
"We find ourselves in a crisis situation and our government is using every tool available to assist," Thompson said in a press release Tuesday.
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