Hay River MLA urges holdouts in his community to leave, saying wildfire is putting lives at risk

The MLA for Hay River North is making a passionate plea for holdouts remaining in Hay River, N.W.T, to leave the community. 

"The situation is bad, and it's going to get worse," R.J. Simpson said around 2 p.m. Friday. 

He said wind was forecast to push the fire toward the community Friday evening, and the out-of-control wildfire burning nearby could "jump" at any moment — which he said could cause widespread destruction to the Town of Hay River in a matter of hours.

"When people evacuated on Sunday night, that little stretch between Hay River and Enterprise, it took some people an hour-and-a-half, two hours to drive it. So if there's a thousand people left in town, even hundreds, who are all trying to get out at once, they might not all get out." 

Close to 4,000 people were ordered to evacuate the area Sunday. The Town of Hay River said Friday it's critical that those who are still in Hay River leave, and it said it planned to shuttle residents to Enterprise Friday afternoon, and then to Yellowknife.

Buses were scheduled to leave at noon and 2 p.m. to get remaining residents out. People can call 1-833-699-0188 for more information.

The town has also said crews would pilot cars through the smoke while it was safe. There is a "strong possibility" that Highway 5 — which heads east of Hay River toward Fort Smith and Wood Buffalo National Park — will close Friday as the fire gets closer.

'Still no fire in the Town of Hay River'

NWT Fire said in an update at noon on Friday the fire could reach the highway by evening, predicting "extraordinarily bad conditions" for firefighters.

By 4:40 p.m., territorial fire information officer Mike Westwick said the highway remained open, though people driving on it were asked to be prepared for sudden closures and possible delays. 

Westwick also said "some slight unexpected rain" and lower winds than predicted "was also a little bit helpful." 

"There is still no fire in the Town of Hay River," Westwick said. 

However, he still encouraged those remaining to get out. 

"We absolutely support the Town of Hay River and encourage folks to follow their instructions. They're very qualified and are making these instructions for very good reasons."

Private security hired for evacuation centre

MLA Simpson, an evacuee himself, empathized with those spending nights on a cot at the evacuation centre in Yellowknife's multiplex. But, he said, work has been done over the past few days to address some people's worries about the space's accessibility. 

The Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority, which has taken the lead in organizing the centre, said wheelchairs are available for people upon request and fridges are available for people to store medication and other time-sensitive items. 

A spokesperson for the authority said private security was hired earlier in the week to monitor some of the secondary exits and entrances of the building to ensure people's safety. 

"We recognize there have been sporadic instances of substance use, disruptive behaviours or violence between evacuees. These have been dealt with as they arise," they said in an email. 

"Many of the staff who have been deployed to the reception centre have backgrounds in mental health, which include de-escalation and non-violent crisis intervention. In addition to our staff on site there has been a daily presence of City of Yellowknife Bylaw and recently RCMP have been making regular rotations also."

Simpson said he visits the multiplex every day, trying to help constituents with whatever they might need.

"There's a sense of community in there," he said. "It's comforting in that way."

Simpson said he's thankful to Yellowknife for its support, but is also asking that more residents consider opening up their homes to people and their pets.

The risk of staying behind

Simpson said Friday officials don't know how many people remain in Hay River. At the bare minimum, he said, they should register with the evacuation centre and let people know where they are. 

"At some point, you know, we could be talking about life and death," he said. 

"The health centre [in Hay River] is not operational, so there's not a full hospital to help people. If there are injuries, there's not enough first responders to go in and take people out of their homes. You know, everyone is busy, everyone's exhausted who's been working there.

"One of the things we do well in the territory is fight wildfires," said Simpson. 

"I have full confidence in the crews that are working on it, but sometimes you can't stop mother nature."

Calls for people to leave the community were renewed after a Thursday evening update said fire conditions were getting worse. 

"Make no mistake — there is rising risk to the Town of Hay River as this situation unfolds," NWT Fire wrote on Facebook Thursday evening. At the time, the fire had breached two control lines meant to prevent its growth.

Fire crews are focused on protecting buildings, and on widening the bulldozer line along the Kátł'odeeche First Nation reserve road to lower the risk of fire jumping the road and causing more damage to the reserve.

Crews are also working to protect the west bank of the Hay River, while the town's fire department was working to protect downtown properties.

Westwick said Friday morning that the territory has requested additional heavy equipment, sprinkler kits and personnel from various locations within the N.W.T. 

At last count, the fire had burned through 2,937 hectares of land in the immediate vicinity of Hay River and Kátł'odeeche First Nation.