Nearly 70 Percent of NWT’s Population Has Fled Due to Out-of-Control Wildfires

Evacuees from Yellowknife, capital of the Northwest Territories, queue up to get gas at Big River Service in Ft. Providence, N.W.T., on Aug. 17, 2023. Bill Braden/The Canadian Press

One new fire has started in the Northwest Territories in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of active fires to 236 and forcing thousands of residents to flee Yellowknife.

Overall, 68 percent of N.W.T.’s population has left due to the fires, according to the federal government.