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WORLD NEWS Friday 18 august 2023
Residents flee, airlifts begin as wildfire approaches capital of

Canada’s Northwest Territories

YELLOWKNIFE, Northwest the CBC. She said they
Territories (AP) — Residents called 911 after they drove
of the capital of Canada’s into the ditch a couple of
Northwest Territories be- times.
gan fleeing an approach- She told CBC her son kept
ing wildfire in long convoys saying: “I don’t want to die,
Thursday while air evacu- mommy.”
ations were underway for Canada has seen a record
those who could not leave number of wildfires this year
by road, the latest chapter contributing to choking
in Canada’s worst fire sea- smoke in parts of the U.S. —
son on record. with more than 5,700 fires
The fire was within 16 ki- burning more than 137,000
lometers (10 miles) of the square kilometers (53,000
northern edge of Yellow- square miles), according to
knife, and people in the the Canadian Interagen-
four areas of the city of cy Forest Fire Centre. As
20,000 at highest risk were of Thursday, 1,053 wildfires
told to leave as soon as were burning across the
possible, Fire Information People without vehicles lineup to register for a flight to Calgary, Alberta in Yellowknife on Thursday, country, more than half of
Officer Mike Westwick said. Aug. 17, 2023. them out of control.
Residents in other areas Associated Press In the Northwest Territories
should be out by noon Fri- alone, 268 wildfires have
day, because strong north “Without rain, it is possible it cial Services Authority said evacuated the town of Hay already burned more than
winds could push the fire will reach the city outskirts on its website. River on Sunday told the 21,000 square kilometers
toward the highway need- by the weekend.” Prime Minister Justin CBC that their vehicle be- (8,100 square miles).
ed for evacuation, West- Authorities said the inten- Trudeau was convening gan melting as they drove Officials said evacuations
wick said. sive care unit at a Yel- an urgent meeting with through embers, the front from the Northwest Ter-
Although some rain was lowknife hospital would ministers and senior offi- window cracked and the ritories have so far been
forecast for the region, first close within 24 hours as the cials Thursday to discuss the vehicle began filling with safe and orderly, and that
responders were taking no Northwest Territories health evacuation. smoke that made it difficult evacuees from the capital
chances. authority starts to reduce its About 6,800 people in to see the road ahead. who can’t find their own
“I want to be clear that services. eight other communities “I was obviously scared the accommodations can get
the city is not in immediate In-patient units from Stan- have already been forced tire was going to break, our support in three centers in
danger and there’s a safe ton Territorial Hospital to evacuate their homes, car was going to catch on the nearby province of Al-
window for residents to would be moved in the including the small com- fire and then it went from berta that were expected
leave the city by road and coming days, if required, munity of Enterprise, where just embers to full smoke,” to open by noon Thursday.
by air,” Shane Thompson, a and most long-term care 80% of the town was de- Lisa Mundy, who was trav- The closest of those cen-
government minister for the patients have been trans- stroyed. Officials said ev- eling with her husband ters is more than 1,000 kilo-
Territories, told a news con- ferred to institutions to the eryone made it out alive. and their 6-year-old and meters (620 miles) by road
ference. south, the Health and So- A woman whose family 18-month-old children, told from Yellowknife.q

China’s defense minister promises to boost cooperation with

Russian ally Belarus

By Yuras Karmanau tails of what the coopera- livery of Russian nuclear
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — tion will entail, but the two weapons and on Thursday
Chinese Defense Minister Li countries have agreed to he said they could only be
Shangfu on Thursday visited hold joint military exercises used by Belarus if the coun-
Belarus and said his coun- next year. try was under threat.
try would increase military Li visited Russia just before “Nuclear weapons, which
cooperation with Russia’s going to Belarus. are in Belarus, will not be
neighbor and ally, where Russian troops that were used if there is no aggres-
Moscow is deploying tacti- deployed in Belarus were sion against us,” Lukash-
cal nuclear weapons. part of Russia’s invading enko said, adding that Be-
Shangfu met with strong- force in Ukraine and Rus- larus would not enter into
man President Alexander sian troops and weapons hostilities against Ukraine
Lukashenko in Minsk and remain there. Belarusian as long as its border was
said “the purpose of my forces have not taken part not violated. China claims
visit to Belarus is precisely in the Ukraine war and Lu- to be neutral in the conflict
the implementation of im- kashenko on Thursday said in Ukraine, but accuses the
portant agreements at the China’s military assistance United States and its allies In this handout photo released by Belarusian Presidential Press
level of heads of state and would not be directed of provoking Russia and Office, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, left, and
the further strengthening of against third countries. Lu- maintains strong econom- China’s Defense Minister Gen. Li Shangfu, right, speak during
bilateral military coopera- kashenko has previously ic, diplomatic and trade their talks in Minsk, Belarus, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023.
Associated Press
tion.” Neither side gave de- said Belarus has taken de- ties with Moscow.q