Yellowknife, Canada

Canada's biggest city in the Northwest Territories faces an emergency situation as a massive wildfire steadily creeps on to it. As per The Guardian, as of Tuesday night, the huge blaze was just 10 miles (16 kilometres) away.

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Authorities have sounded an alarm declaring a territory-wide state of emergency and an evacuation order for the outskirts of Yellowknife. 

Crisis situation in Yellowknife

"We find ourselves in a crisis situation and our government is using every tool available to assist," said the territory's minister of environment and climate change, Shane Thompson.

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Residents have been ordered to clear a 22-mile stretch of Highway 3 that connects Yellowknife to the rest of Canada.

NWT Fire has warned that the massive blaze would likely reach the highway on Thursday.

Also read | Maui: These highly-trained dogs are on mission to find wildfire victims

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"There is a risk to the City of Yellowknife. Our team, alongside the City of Yellowknife, are doing everything possible to slow the growth of this fire and protect the community," said the fire services as quoted by Reuters.

Yellowknife residents have been warned that falling ash and visible smoke are likely in the city as the 163,000-hectares (402,000 acres) fire spreads.

Yellowknife, which is home to 20,000 people, is on high alert. Authorities have warned the residents that a bigger evacuation order may be on its way. Meanwhile, thousands of residents of five other communities in the territory have already been told to evacuate. 

Canada's wildfire season

Canada is currently grappling with its most severe wildfire season on record, with over 1,000 active fires raging across the country. 230 of these, as per The Guardian, are in the Northwest Territories.

Also read | A bright flash & fire: Video suggests a tree fell on a power line, setting off the Maui blaze

Recently, the hamlet of Enterprise near the Alberta border was nearly obliterated, with 90 per cent of it destroyed by a fire that swept through on Sunday. The nearby community of Hay River is "running out of time" to evacuate, said Mayor Kandis Jameson. 

Due to an enduring heat wave, on Tuesday, Western Canada saw 19 daily heat records broken. The heatwave is fuelling the more than a thousand fires plaguing the nation.

(With inputs from agencies)

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