manage wildfires in the future? i think there s a whole bunch of things that it s probably a list too long to get into but it s more important to say that the average human being doesn t have a whole lot of understanding of this. i don t think you can point to 20,000 people in yellowknife and say, oh, we wanted wildlife management techniques to change . i think it s more that there could ve been a recognition earlier in proceedings that this fire and other fires nearby could pose more of a threat. now, that conversation has happened before, i m sure it will happen again it s far too soon to get into that kind of analysis right now. we re still in the event. a situation still evolving. 0llie williams, the co founder and news editor of cabin radio, an independent news station there in the northwest territories, thank you so much forjoining us. thank you. in hawaii, where maui has been dealing with the aftermath of devastating wildfires, the island s emergency management chief resigne
to evacuate a city in canada s far north, as wildfires close in on their remote community. fires have been spreading across canada s sparsely populated northwest territories for months now, but in recent days they have started to threaten the territory s capital, yellowknife. it has a population of 20,000 located a thousand kilometres away from another large city, making the evacuation a logistical challenge. the order to leave came on wednesday night, as the fire bore down on the yellowstone s boundaries. the city has set up convoys to help drivers natigate out, as smoke blankets the only highway in or out. earlier, my colleague carl nasman spoke to 0llie williams, a journalist from yellowknife who has evacuated out of harm s way. thank you forjoining us, especially under these circumstances. i understand you
pose a grave threat. what were you seeing that led you to think, hey, i better get out of here even a day before the official evacuation order takes place? well, i m the editor of cabin radio, a website covering the northwest territories and i ll shout over the flood plane in the background here we did an interview with a gentleman named john vallant who spent seven years studying wildfires and john vaillant described to me how authorities in fort mcmurray in 2016 underestimated the strength of 21st century wildfire. he said he saw a lot of echoes in yellowknife and i have to be frank with you, it s one of those things as a journalist, i got five minutes into that interview and thought to myself, what am i still doing here? just walk us through the situation in the area in general because, of course, yellowknife is not the only area evacuated several other communities have had to flee. there are any different blazes there. give us a picture of what is
tens of thousands of people are rushing to evacuate a city in canada s far north as wildfires close in on their remote community. fires have been spreading across canada s sparsely populated northwest territories for months now, but in recent days they ve threatened the territory s capital, yellowknife. it has a population ofjust 20,000. it s1000km away from the next large city, making the evacuation a logistical challenge. the order to leave came as the fire bore down on yellowknife s boundaries. 0llie williams is a journalist from yellowknife who has already escaped harm s way. yeah, so i am now in a small village called fort simpson, which is about 630 kilometres west of yellowknife. it probably sounds like a huge distance
tens of thousands of people are rushing to evacuate a city in canada s far north as wildfires close in on their remote community. fires have been spreading across canada s sparsely populated northwest territories for months now, but in recent days they ve threatened the territory s capital, yellowknife. it has a population ofjust 20,000. it s1000km away from the next large city, making the evacuation a logistical challenge. the order to leave came as the fire bore down on yellowknife s boundaries. 0llie williams is a journalist from yellowknife who has already escaped harm s way. yeah, so i am now in a small village called fort simpson, which is about 630 kilometres west of yellowknife. it probably sounds like a huge distance it really isn t in