Michel Labine, a longtime resident of Fort Smith, Canada, is frequently the one putting out fires or helping evacuees in his neighbourhood.
It was the 63-year-old’s first time being on the other side, but he was forced to flee last weekend as a nearby forest fire drew closer and closer to his neighbourhood.
The skies were hazy on that Saturday morning, but by noon the flames had turned the sky entirely black.
Then, according to Mr. Labine’s account to the BBC, “it broke up a little and there was just a red, amber sky.” He then observed fire trucks driving between homes, pleading the inhabitants to vacate.
Later, the military flew Mr. Labine and his family 365 kilometres (226 miles) to Fort McMurray, Alberta. The airlift is the largest rescue effort in the history of the territory.
The Labines were able to escape with nothing but the necessities.
“We had no luggage,” Mr. Labine said. “I just had my bag, which contained my medical supplies. We were in the dark.
He is one of around 6,500 people who have been told to leave certain areas of the Northwest Territories because there are currently 236 wildfires burning nearby.
The government proclaimed a state of emergency for the entire territory on Tuesday, and the mayor of the little town of Hay River issued an evacuation alert to her residents.
At a news conference, Kandis Jameson stated, “It is life-threatening to be here,” adding that the fire is roughly 15 miles from the town. 500 people, according to Ms. Jameson, have not yet left the area.
This is the second evacuation of Hay River this summer. Additionally, the municipality provided housing for Fort Smith evacuees who had to leave again on Sunday.
Over 5,000 people were present at Hay River when it was evacuated, according to Mr. Labine. “There would normally be 3,500, but a lot of people came from Fort Smith.”
According to Enterprise’s mayor on Tuesday, one of the fires nearly completely destroyed the hamlet, which is home to 120 people.
Michael St Amour told the CBC, “I think there are seven or eight houses and three or four businesses left.” “Around 85 to 90 percent of the community is gone.”
One mile from Fort Smith, according to Mr. Labine, there is another fire.
We might be saved if the wind is on our side, he replied. However, if the wind changes to the south, the settlement will be gone.
All we can do right now is pray and hope that the man upstairs decides to let us go this year, said Mr. Labine, who is currently taking refuge in a hotel with a lot of other evacuees.
Due to a drier than usual summer, Canada is experiencing its worst wildfire season on record, with roughly 1,100 active flames throughout the nation as of Tuesday.
Approximately the size of Greece, or 13.2 million hectares (32.6 million acres), have burned thus far.
To assist in putting out fires and organising evacuations, the Canadian government has sent members of the armed forces to the Northwest Territories.
In the meantime, the “imminent threat” of wildfires prompted Yellowknife, the territorial capital, to announce a local state of emergency on Monday night. The proclamation enables the city to respond in advance and get its citizens ready to flee at a moment’s notice.
The wildfire season this year, according to Mr. Labine, a former renewable resources officer whose duties included sending fire firefighters in his neighbourhood, is unlike any other he has seen.
This summer, the earth has been so dry that it has seemed like walking on broken glass.
It just crunched as you stepped on it, according to Mr. Labine. I’ve never noticed it to be so dry. There hasn’t been much rain.
Just before he and his family left for safety outside of Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, Michel Labine captured this photo of the sky outside his house.
This July, Fort Good Hope in the Northwest Territories experienced its warmest July on record, with a high of 37.4C.
British Columbia, where multiple heat advisories are in effect this week owing to record-high temperatures, is also experiencing wildfires.
According to scientists, the hot, dry weather that is likely to start wildfires is more likely as a result of climate change.
Extreme heat that lasts for a long time dries out the soil and vegetation more and more.
Since the start of the industrial age, the world has already warmed by around 1.1C, and temperatures will continue to rise unless governments drastically reduce emissions.