Information from the government of the Northwest Territories (N.W.T.) reveals that the number of evacuation orders issued in the last six years equals the total from the previous three decades combined.
CBC News sought data from the N.W.T. Department of Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA) regarding the number of evacuations across communities since the 1990s.
The findings indicated there were roughly 32 evacuation orders from 1990 to 2019, and an additional 32 from 2020 to 2026. Most evacuations were triggered by wildfires, though floods and isolated emergencies, such as the Hay River high-rise apartment fire in 2019, also contributed.
Not every order targeted specific communities; some pertained to residences along highway routes. The data also incorporates partial evacuations, where a neighborhood had to relocate within the same town.
Mike Flannigan, a professor specializing in wildland fire at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, British Columbia, expressed surprise at the significant rise in evacuations and questioned whether this data accurately reflects all historical wildfire evacuations, since past events often lacked thorough documentation.
CBC News also requested information solely on wildfire evacuations from the federal government, but their records commence in 1980 and do not provide a decade-by-decade breakdown.
Nonetheless, Flannigan acknowledged the clear trend emerging from the N.W.T. government’s data.
“I believe the trend,” he stated. “We’re witnessing more evacuations, and as fire incidents increase, out of an abundance of caution, we will see an uptick in evacuations,” he remarked.
A chart with data provided by the N.W.T. government details the number of evacuations each decade. From 2020-2026 there were almost as many evacuations as there were in the previous 30 years. (Luke Carroll/CBC)
What is driving the increase?
The surge in evacuations can be largely attributed to wildfires, and Flannigan identifies several factors contributing to this rise in the territory.
“First, we’re experiencing more fire activity. As climate change, driven by human activity, progresses, we can expect an increase in fire incidents,” he explained.
“The warm season is extending, resulting in more chances for lightning strikes. Most fires in the Northwest Territories are ignited by lightning, which makes them challenging to prevent.”
Mike Flannigan, a professor of wildland fire at Thompson Rivers University, says proactive backcountry travel and fire bans, along with the FireSmart Canada program, are effective tools to mitigate and prevent the damage and risk of wildfires. (Submitted by Mike Flannigan)
Flannigan noted that fire behavior has changed compared to the past.
“We’ve observed fires making astonishing advances,” he mentioned, citing the 2023 Enterprise fire as an illustration.
“What was once considered safe may no longer be secure in today’s fire environment, as these fires are so intense that halting them is incredibly difficult.”
Consequently, evacuations may now occur earlier than before, driven by an “abundance of caution.”
The data indicated that numerous communities have had to evacuate multiple times, with Hay River and Kátł’odeeche First Nation being the most affected, having evacuated a total of 12 times since 1990.
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How has this increase altered emergency management?
CBC News made several attempts to contact MACA for an interview regarding the data but did not receive a response by the deadline.
From the early 2000s until 2019, Kevin Brezinski served as the N.W.T. director of public safety, now referred to as the director of emergency measures.
“It certainly wasn’t as, can I say hectic?”
Hay River emergency workers loaded up buses full of people in 2022 when the town flooded. The data provided by the N.W.T. government includes all types of evacuations, including from flooding. (Emma Grunwald/CBC)
Brezinski noted that fires are occurring much more frequently, with greater intensity, and are having a more significant impact today.
While in his role, he dealt with floods and forest fires, including the notably destructive 2014 fire season, but not to this level of frequency.
“I often find myself thinking, ‘thank goodness I’m not doing that anymore,’ because it’s quite chaotic nowadays,” he reflected.
In its 2025 after action review, the territory reported $363.8 million in recovery expenses resulting from a combination of floods and fires since 2021.
During Brezinski’s tenure, his responsibilities spanned various areas, including the fire marshal’s office, consumer affairs, and real estate supervision.
“A lot of small functions rolled into one package,” he described.
He stated that the current individual in that position would have a much more focused role.
“The emergency measures aspect has received much more emphasis these days,” he added.
A screenshot of footage of the wildfire threatening Norman Wells and Tulita in 1995. (CBC)
Fire day
As Brezinski noted, while evacuations were less frequent in the past, severe fire seasons aren’t uncommon in the N.W.T.
One of the initial significant evacuation instances recorded in the N.W.T. government’s dataset was the 1995 fire that nearly destroyed Tulita.
The community continues to hold “fire day” activities to honor that event.
At that time, Tulita’s Mayor Douglas Yallee was actively working on the fire line.
Tulita, N.W.T. in late July, 2021. In 1995 a fire burned right up to the edge of the community. (Anna Desmarais/CBC)
“At that time, there was a great deal of smoke and fire near the airport. Ashes were falling on the community,” he recalled.
Yallee mentioned that the fire crossed the Great Bear River and advanced towards Norman Wells.
Shelley Melto, a resident of Norman Wells, shared her experience.
She noted that each evacuation order for communities in the N.W.T. reminds her of 1995 when she had to flee to Yellowknife, where she was accommodated in a room at Akaitcho Hall, a former student residence.
A screenshot of Tulita’s 2011 community plan that shows an image of the area the 1995 wildfire burned around the community. (Government of the Northwest Territories)
“It always brings back memories, and you truly empathize with those being evacuated, such as in Simpson and Wrigley this summer,” she expressed.
“It’s just really tough. It stirs up a lot of memories.”
For Melto, 1995 wasn’t her last evacuation experience. In the early 2000s, she was compelled to leave her home once more.
The data indicates that her situation is increasingly common in the N.W.T.