Evacuation order issued for community of 600 northwest of Yellowknife

The community of Behchokǫ̀, N.W.T., is setting up around 200 cots for evacuees from Whatı̀ after officials ordered Whatı̀ residents to evacuate their community due to a nearby wildfire. 

Behchokǫ̀ has also arranged for meals and snacks for the evacuees and for medical personnel and counsellors to be at the ready, Chief Bertha Rabesca Zoe told CBC.

“We’ve gone through evacuations ourselves before,” Rabesca Zoe said. “And so we know how much family and community is very important to make sure that we all stay with each other and support each other and be there for each other.”

Rabesca Zoe estimated the population of Whatı̀ to be about 500 people and said some people will stay with family members in Behchokǫ̀ and Yellowknife. 

Behchokǫ̀ will be a stopover for many evacuees en route to Yellowknife because the city needs time to prepare for their arrival, she said. 

Officials in Whatı̀ declared a state of local emergency Friday morning and ordered residents to leave.

“Whatı̀ residents are required to evacuate the area immediately due to a wildfire in the area,” senior administrative officer Sherbaz Muhammad wrote in the evacuation order.

“Evacuees must register at the Whatı̀ Cultural Centre. Reception centres are being set up in Behchokǫ̀ and Yellowknife.”

Whatı̀ is on the southeast side of Lac La Martre and is a 167-kilometre drive from Behchokǫ̀. It had been under an evacuation alert since Wednesday afternoon, meaning officials were warning residents to prepare to leave at a moment’s notice.

This is the first evacuation order in the N.W.T. this summer, and it comes unusually late in the year.

Residents of Whatı̀ remained calm as they registered with the cultural centre Friday morning then boarded buses or fuelled up vehicles to leave the community, according to Samantha Beaverho, the government worker who serves as its planning section chief during emergencies.

“We have about one more bus load that we’re waiting for to haul the rest of the community members that are still here,” said Beaverho, who typically works as the recreation co-ordinator. 

There have been RCMP officers, nurses and counsellors on hand to help reassure people and make sure there is no miscommunication, she said. 

“This morning was the adrenaline [rush] for staff,” Beaverho said.

“But we also reminded ourselves, you know, to stay calm, to stay [collected] and just to be sure that we do get community members out safely.”

Officials are asking evacuees to register in Behchokǫ̀ before going anywhere else, she said, and to stay in Behchokǫ̀ Friday until Yellowknife is prepared to welcome evacuees Friday night or Saturday morning. 

The wildfire burning seven kilometres from the community’s airport is not expected to reach the road that leads out of the community, an N.W.T. fire information officer said in an interview Friday morning. 

However, visibility on the road will be a challenge, Mike Westwick said. 

The government of the Northwest Territories closed Highway 9 northbound toward Whatı̀ on Friday afternoon due to heavy smoke. 

However, it remains open for residents driving south from Whatı̀ for evacuation. 

Yellowknife Mayor Ben Hendriksen said in a Facebook post that the Fieldhouse and Multiplex will be closed to public use for now as the city prepares to host evacuees. He also said some city services might be slower.

“Please show kindness and support to Whatı̀ residents as they become temporary Yellowknifers,” he wrote. “We all know the challenges of being far from home in these difficult moments.”

Environment and Climate Change Canada is forecasting winds from the south of up to 10 kilometres per hour for Whatı̀ on Friday. The weather office is also calling for a daytime high of 30 C in the area.

In a post to a Whatı̀ community Facebook group, the Northwest Territories Power Corporation said it would be maintaining power in the community “as long as it is safe to do so.”

It said the power plant has been equipped with fire protection gear, and some staff will be staying for as long as they are able.

The fire remained about seven kilometres from Whatı̀’s airport as of Friday morning, fire information officer Westwick said: it had not approached any closer than it had on Thursday.

Westwick credited the lack of movement in part to a blanket of smoke hanging over the area, contributing to higher humidity levels. 

He said officials are concerned the smoke may lift in the afternoon, allowing fire activity to increase. 

He said crews, meanwhile, have successfully set up and tested sprinkler systems on the edge of the community.

“We’ll be running them throughout the day [to] get the community good and wet, protect those structures, mitigate losses if the fire does approach. And if the opportunity presents itself, we will hit it with aircraft from helicopters and air tankers if the visibility allows for safe flight into that area.”

Crews were able to help cool the end of the fire closest to the community on Thursday by fighting it from the air, he added.

However, they also saw growth from a finger of the fire that had grown out to the east.

It could also advance north if the smoke lifts Friday, Westwick said.

“The drought conditions in the area are making controlling these fires extremely challenging,” he said.

“They escape those control efforts despite best efforts … every step of the way here. And we’re in a position now where we need to be doing everything we can to protect this community.”