After two evacuations and hundreds of kilometres along smoky highways, Ramanda Sanderson has finally found safety from the fires that are ravaging her Northwest Territories home.
SA国际影视传媒淏eing evacuated two times in 24 hours is nothing like I have ever experienced,SA国际影视传媒� she said in an email from the Paddle Prairie M茅tis Settlement in Alberta, far from where she started earlier this week.
SA国际影视传媒淢inutes feel like hours and days never seem to end.SA国际影视传媒�
Sanderson is one of thousands of N.W.T. residents who have fled the 236 wildfires tearing through the northern boreal forest. More than 20,000 square kilometres have been burned, an area almost four times the size of Prince Edward Island.
Evacuations have been ordered for Fort Smith, Enterprise, Jean Marie River and Hay River.
Many highways have been closed by the fires and the territory is mounting what officials call the largest airlift in its history. The Canadian Forces are on the ground helping firefighters and flying evacuees out on Hercules aircraft.
SandersonSA国际影视传媒檚 odyssey began Saturday when flames drove her from her home in Fort Smith along the Alberta-N.W.T. boundary.
SA国际影视传媒淔ort Smith did an amazing job getting us out at the perfect time, and everyone left in a calm, timely manner,SA国际影视传媒� she said.
She left in a convoy of campers and trucks with a party of relatives that included her fianc茅 and family members adding up to 23 people, 10 dogs and three cats. The group drove the 272 kilometres to Hay River, where they thought they would be safe in the townSA国际影视传媒檚 campground.
They werenSA国际影视传媒檛.
SA国际影视传媒淣o one anticipated the fire from Kakisa to move 50 kilometres in a matter of hours,SA国际影视传媒� Sanderson wrote.
SA国际影视传媒淏eing in the hypervigilant state that we were already in from evacuating Fort Smith, once we saw the smoke rolling in and the black ashes falling, we just jumped into action immediately.SA国际影视传媒�
SandersonSA国际影视传媒檚 family messaged one another on social media to get a move on SA国际影视传媒� 24 hours after their first evacuation.
SA国际影视传媒淲e ran to the gas station,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淚 was shaking really bad and my anxiety was through the roof.
SA国际影视传媒淏ut the moment my family decided weSA国际影视传媒檙e leaving, I felt better and I just jumped to task and we hit the ground running. We got out immediately and within 45 minutes of driving past Enterprise, it was engulfed in flames.SA国际影视传媒�
For residents of Enterprise, it was terrifying.
SA国际影视传媒淚 had to scramble and pack what I could and leave,SA国际影视传媒� recalled Natasha Cleary.
Cleary, her husband, their six children, two dogs, a cat, five kittens and their bearded dragon lizard piled into the family motorhome and headed south.
SA国际影视传媒淓verything is such a blur. We kind of just did what we could and left and everything else was just tunnel vision,SA国际影视传媒� she said.
SA国际影视传媒淲e left just in time because it wasnSA国际影视传媒檛 long after that the highways were on fire.SA国际影视传媒�
SandersonSA国际影视传媒檚 group decided to head to the home of relatives on AlbertaSA国际影视传媒檚 Paddle Prairie M茅tis Settlement, another 382 kilometres south, over dangerous roads.
SA国际影视传媒淲e were ahead of everybody by so much. We were so fortunate to get out as quick as we did,SA国际影视传媒� she said.
SA国际影视传媒淲hen we got closer to the N.W.T. border, it was so smoky. Everything was dark and red. It was like it was midnight, our high beams were on, and it was so smoky it was incredibly creepy.SA国际影视传媒�
Cleary described the drive as surreal. Traffic was bumper-to-bumper, travelling slow.
SA国际影视传媒淚t went pitch black, orangey and smoky, and was raining ashes.SA国际影视传媒�
Both families are safe now.
Sanderson said Paddle Prairie has taken good care of people fleeing the wildfires. Her aunt and uncleSA国际影视传媒檚 yard has five campers full of N.W.T. evacuees.
SA国际影视传媒淭hereSA国际影视传媒檚 a list of people who are going to be bringing us hot meals and they brought us 10 huge boxes of snacks yesterday and they upped the water deliveries for us because thereSA国际影视传媒檚 so many of us on household water.SA国际影视传媒�
Cleary is holed up at a friendSA国际影视传媒檚 place in Grande Prairie, Alta., 720 kilometres from home.
Firefighters continue to battle the blazes.
Only 93 firefighters and six helicopters remain in Fort Smith, where the fire has moved to within four kilometres from the community.
All non-essential first responders have been removed from the town to Fort McMurray and Edmonton and those who remain are ready to move quickly to other staging areas if things worsen, said incident commander Gregg Walker.
SA国际影视传媒淭he evacuation is an important public safety measure. This is still a dangerous environment for people to be in,SA国际影视传媒� Walker told reporters.
He said the area received a couple of millimetres of rain but its benefits wonSA国际影视传媒檛 last long.
SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 really very little rain and so although it looks and feels like itSA国际影视传媒檚 enough rain to control the fire, it really is not,SA国际影视传媒� Walker said.
SA国际影视传媒淚n fact, by this afternoon or tomorrow, the dryness of the fields and the fire conditions will be the same as they were before we got that rain.SA国际影视传媒�
Residents of the territorial capital Yellowknife have been told to be ready to leave. A local state of emergency has been declared, although the city is not currently considered threatened. A similar alert was issued for Inuvik at the far northwestern tip of the N.W.T.
Meanwhile, evacuees wait and worry. Since leaving, Cleary has been wracked with angst. SheSA国际影视传媒檚 heard most of the hamlet has been ravaged by the wildfires, including her home.
SA国际影视传媒淥ur home is gone. Everything is burned right to the ground.SA国际影视传媒�
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