Canadian firefighters wage battle to save communities

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA >> Firefighters battling wildfires in Canada on Saturday sought to stop flames that swept through the West Kelowna suburbs in British Columbia, forced the evacuation of a university campus and fouled the air with thick smoke.

The entire province was under a state of emergency as firefighters waged an epic battle, while firefighting reinforcements and calmer weather provided hope for a reprieve during Canada's worst fire season on record.

No deaths were reported in the blazes but firefighters said a significant number of structures have been destroyed in the fires around Kelowna.

Elsewhere, a small amount of rain fell overnight, and humidity was high enough to dampen fire activity, helping weary firefighters in the Northwest Territories, Mike Westwick, wildfire information officer, said Saturday. The fire remained about 9 miles from the city Saturday.

“We're by no means out of the woods yet,” Westwick told The Associated Press. “We still have a serious situation. It's not safe to return.”

Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories, was a virtual ghost town after nearly all of the city's 20,000 residents fled under evacuation order.

Charlotte Morritt was among those who left on Thursday, reaching that decision because of the unbearable smoke that had become unhealthy for her 4-month-old son.

Morritt, a journalist with the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, and her son took an evacuation flight some 950 miles to safety in Yukon province, while her partner stayed behind to monitor their property, and help create firebreaks and fight fires.

“We knew it was only a matter of time,” said Morritt, who had been following media updates and satellite images of the approaching wildfires.

Authorities were concerned that Yellowknife's only escape route could be cut off by the fires. About 2,600 people remained in the city Saturday, including emergency teams, firefighters, utility workers and police officers, along with residents who refused to leave.

The fires were unnerving for residents, with plumes of smoke visible by day and an eerie orange nighttime glow.