Fort Good Hope, N.W.T., is under an evacuation order as a wildfire threatens the community of around 500 people.
The community issued the evacuation order and declared a state of emergency on Saturday afternoon due to danger from a new human-caused wildfire, fire VQ001-24.
Fort Good Hope evacuees will be received in Norman Wells, N.W.T.
As of about 7:15 p.m. on Saturday, five planes with a capacity to transport 110 people were working to shuttle residents to Norman Wells, according to MACA spokesperson Laura Busch.
The flight between the two communities is about 20 minutes. The planes will continue to transport residents until everyone who needs to be evacuated has left, Busch said.
She said the nearby community of Délı̨nę, N.W.T. has also offered to take in evacuees if needed.
“Please pack light and pack your important paperwork, ID, and most importantly your medication,” Fort Good Hope Chief Pierrot directed residents in a Facebook post earlier Saturday afternoon.
As of about 7 p.m. Saturday, the fire was less than two kilometres northeast of the community at its closest points, and about four kilometres from the airport, according to fire information officer Mike Westwick.
He said N.W.T. Fire’s most recent measurements had the fire at five hectares in size, but based on satellite images, the fire may have more than doubled in size since then.
Westwick said N.W.T. Fire has sent in two additional crews to help the one that was doing initial attack, and is mobilizing an incident management team to manage the fire over the longer term.
At 5:40 p.m., Norman Wells Mayor Frank Pope told CBC News the town has been told to expect about 100 evacuees from Fort Good Hope.
All evacuees are expected to arrive by about 8 p.m., he said.
Earlier in the day, in a 3:45 p.m. update, N.W.T. Fire said air tankers and helicopters are fighting the fire from the air, while local firefighters are working to contain it on the ground.
“Additional crews are on the way,” the update said.
N.W.T. Fire said there is a chance the fire will reach the community in the next 24 hours with overnight wind shifts to the east and northeast.
‘There will be a hot meal waiting’
Pope said many people in Norman Wells have volunteered to put friends and relatives up in their homes, and the town has also prepared the community hall and area to welcome evacuees.
“We’ve got cots there, the folks will have access to washrooms and to showers. We have our staff, the fire department, a bunch of volunteers cooking, so when the folks get in here … there will be a hot meal waiting for them.”
Anyone in Norman Wells who can volunteer or assist the effort can contact local fire chief Brandon Scott at +1 (867) 688-0683, the town told residents on Facebook.
Leaving by boat
Fort Good Hope elder Frank T’seleie told CBC News he and his partner are planning to evacuate the community by boat to his fish camp by the Mackenzie River.
He said the community government has provided them and others planning to leave by boat with gasoline for the trip.
“We’re just packing up the food, camp supplies. If need be, we’ll just jump in the boat and away we go. There’s cabins along the river so no problem,” he said.
