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A look at fires, evacuations in N.W.T. and B.C.

By: The Canadian Press Posted: Last Modified:

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Thousands of people have been ordered to leave their homes as wildfires approach in the Northwest Territories, including some 20,000 people in the territorial capital of Yellowknife. Meanwhile, flames have devoured a number of houses as a wildfire burns in West Kelowna, a city in British Columbia's interior. Here's a look at the fires by the numbers:

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/08/2023 (784 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Thousands of people have been ordered to leave their homes as wildfires approach in the Northwest Territories, including some 20,000 people in the territorial capital of Yellowknife. Meanwhile, flames have devoured a number of houses as a wildfire burns in West Kelowna, a city in British Columbia’s interior. Here’s a look at the fires by the numbers:

Yellowknife

Distance between Yellowknife and the fire: about 15 kilometres

Some 20,000 people from Yellowknife and thousands more from other communities in the Northwest Territories have been ordered to leave due to nearby wildfires. Evacuees leave with a trailer of belongings after a wildfire evacuation alert was upgraded to an order and they were forced to leave the Wilden neighbourhood near Knox Mountain, in Kelowna, B.C., Friday, Aug. 18, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Some 20,000 people from Yellowknife and thousands more from other communities in the Northwest Territories have been ordered to leave due to nearby wildfires. Evacuees leave with a trailer of belongings after a wildfire evacuation alert was upgraded to an order and they were forced to leave the Wilden neighbourhood near Knox Mountain, in Kelowna, B.C., Friday, Aug. 18, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Size of the blaze: 1,669 square kilometres

Population of Yellowknife: approximately 20,000 people

Residents ordered to evacuate: all of Yellowknife and thousands in other N.W.T. communities

Percentage of residents who have evacuated: 95 per cent

Number of wildfires burning in the N.W.T: 236

West Kelowna

Size of the fire that has spread around West Kelowna: 105 square kilometres, but officials say it is likely larger

Population of West Kelowna: approximately 38,000 people

Number of West Kelowna properties ordered to evacuate: about 10,700

Number of West Kelowna properties on evacuation alert: about 9,500

Properties damaged: a “significant” number

Number of wildfires burning in B.C.: 380

This report by The Canadian Press was first published August 19, 2023.

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