Fires are raging about 15 kilometres from the city of Yellowknife. Firefighters from all over Canada have established protective lines around the city—a mix of firebreaks, water cannons and other mitigation measures. Will it keep the flames from engulfing the city? No one knows. In the meantime, all 20,000 residents have been told to evacuate. For days now, they’ve been inching slowly out of the city on the only road out, and on a steady stream of evacuation flights.
Yellowknife mayor Rebecca Alty will be one of the last people to leave. She’s already sent her own family south to safety and is staying behind, along with other essential workers, to protect the city from fire and to ensure citizens exit safely. We talked to her as she was helping to mobilize the evacuation about what is happening in her city and what it’s like to be in the eye of danger. “I was scrolling Facebook and was glad to see the number of friends who have made it safely south,” she told us. “It’s good to have friends and family support one another through this, as I’m also navigating evacuating the whole city. It’s a big stress, that’s for sure.”
—Sarah Fulford, editor-in-chief
