Dozens of patients remain at Yellowknife’s Stanton Territorial Hospital as wildfires continue to ravage the Northwest Territories. Despite efforts to discharge and relocate patients, 38 individuals who require complex medical care and support during transit are still at the hospital. The goal is to complete the evacuation within the next 24 hours, according to Alexander Keefe, a spokesperson for the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority.
The evacuation of Yellowknife residents was ordered on Wednesday evening, with a deadline of noon on Friday. However, officials are uncertain about the total number of residents who have fled the wildfires engulfing the region. The government started evacuating long-term care facilities on Monday and defended the hospital’s slow evacuation process, citing the complexity of arranging patient transport for an entire hospital.
Yellowknife, home to approximately 22,000 people, is taking measures to enhance fire protections in the surrounding areas. Evacuees from the Northwest Territories are moving south, primarily to Alberta, by land and air. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau planned to meet with evacuees at an Edmonton reception centre on Friday.
The Northwest Territories will work towards reuniting evacuated hospital patients with their families while stabilizing healthcare services. However, the safe transfer of care remains the foremost priority. In response to the wildfires, the Northwest Territories coordinated an air evacuation for certain outpatients, including dialysis patients and pregnant individuals. Additionally, approximately 290 patient movements have been arranged for various parts of the territory affected by fires.
The Canadian military has commenced evacuation flights, using Hercules aircraft to transport long-term care residents from Yellowknife to Edmonton. The Federal Defense Minister, Bill Blair, emphasized that the evacuation process, although not as rapid as that of the 2016 Fort McMurray fire, is being carried out methodically and safely.
Meanwhile, in Yellowknife, contractors and wildfire personnel are tirelessly working to create fire breaks and set up sprinkler systems to protect the city. To date, approximately 20 to 30 kilometers of the city’s northwest and western side have been protected with fire breaks. Sprinklers are being strategically installed to dampen flames and embers in both the wooded areas on the outskirts of town and some residential sites.
As the evacuation continues, health authorities from various provinces are preparing to receive and support evacuees from the Northwest Territories. Alberta Health Services plans to support between 150 and 200 home-care patients, while British Columbia and Vancouver are also ready to receive medical evacuees. Calgary alone expects 26 evacuation flights with over 2,300 passengers from Yellowknife.
While many residents have left the area, Kieron Testart, an emergency coordinator in the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, is helping stragglers evacuate. He believes that severe wildfire seasons will become more regular and worse in the future, emphasizing the need for increased federal investments in climate-change mitigation efforts.
As the wildfires continue to pose a threat to Yellowknife, the evacuation efforts are ongoing, with a focus on ensuring the safety and well-being of residents and patients alike.
