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Military responds as wildfires close evacuation routes out of N.W.T. towns

HAY RIVER, N.W.T. — Hundreds of northerners are being airlifted from at least three communities in the face of wind-whipped wildfires as the Canadian Forces arrive in the Northwest Territories and ashes rain down on its capital city.
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Transportation authorities in the Northwest Territories say the highway out of a community near the Alberta boundary that's being evacuated due to wildfires has now closed. The Northwest Territories provincial flag flies on a flag pole in Ottawa on June 30, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

HAY RIVER, N.W.T. — Hundreds of northerners are being airlifted from at least three communities in the face of wind-whipped wildfires as the Canadian Forces arrive in the Northwest Territories and ashes rain down on its capital city.

N-W-T fire information officer Mike Westwick says the territories have never seen an airlift like it.

Residents of Hay River, Fort Smith and Jean Marie River are all boarding airplanes today as the flames render highways unsafe. 

Fires are now within 30 kilometres of the territorial capital of Yellowknife, although the city itself is still considered safe. 

Firefighters, backed up by heavy equipment and air tankers, are battling fires driven by winds reaching as high as 60 kilometres an hour. 

Meanwhile, a military reconnaissance team has arrived and the Canadian Forces are expected to be fully mobilized Tuesday. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 14, 2023.

— By Bob Weber in Edmonton

The Canadian Press