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With this status, authorities have additional powers to respond to emergencies and can focus more on repairing fire damage at this time of year.

“This allows (the government) to acquire and deploy the necessary resources to support the management of this unprecedented wildfire season and protect the health and safety of residents of the Northwest Territories,” the government said. territorial in a press release, quoted by AFPWednesday (16/8).

The Canadian government said on Tuesday it had approved federal aid to fight the wildfires and was deploying the armed forces to help with firefighting efforts in the region.

“We are working closely with the Government of the Northwest Territories to ensure communities receive the support they need,” Canada’s federal Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan said in a statement.

The City of Yellowknife also declared a local state of emergency late Monday to address potential wildfire risks nearby.
The statement was made as a precaution and residents have not yet been notified of an evacuation, city officials said in a statement.

“Residents need to stay calm and make sure they are prepared should the situation change,” Yellowknife Mayor Rebecca Alty said.

Yellowknife is the capital of the Northwest Territories and is located 450 km south of the Arctic Circle. With around 20,000 inhabitants, it is one of the largest settlements in the sparsely populated north.

Over the weekend, residents of most communities in the South Slave region of the Northwest Territories, which sits along the Alberta border, were ordered to evacuate.

The hamlet of Enterprise, a village of over 100 people, was almost completely destroyed by the fire, Radio Canada News, reported Tuesday, citing the mayor of Enterprise.

Wildfires have ravaged parts of nearly all of Canada’s 13 provinces and territories this year, forcing the evacuation of homes, disrupting energy production and drawing in federal and international firefighting resources.

More than 130,000 square kilometers of land was scorched, a record for this stage of the season, and nearly 168,000 people were forced to flee at one point.

The North West region has seen 265 wildfires so far this year, well above the 10-year annual average of 185.