YELLOWKNIFE, Canada (AP) — Residents of Canada’s Northwest Territories capital began fleeing in large convoys Thursday from an approaching wildfire, while air evacuations were carried out for those unable to get out by road, in the most recent chapter of Canada’s worst fire season on record.

The blaze was 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the northern edge of Yellowknife, and residents of the four most at-risk areas of the city of 20,000 were ordered out as soon as possible, said Mike Westwick, Information Officer for Yellowknife. .firefighters.

Residents in other areas should leave by noon Friday as strong northerly winds could push the fire onto the highway needed for evacuation, Westwick said. Although rain was forecast for the area, first responders took no chances.

“I want to make it clear that the city is not in immediate danger and that there is a safe space for residents to leave the city by road and by air,” said Minister Shane Thompson. of the Environment of the Territories, during a press conference. “Without rain, it’s possible to reach the outskirts of town on weekends,” Thompson said.

Authorities said the intensive care unit at a Yellowknife hospital would close in 24 hours as the Northwest Territories Health Authority begins to cut services, the Health and Human Services Authority reported on its website.

Inpatient units at Stanton Territorial Hospital will be moved in the coming days, if necessary, and most long-term care patients have been transferred to southern facilities.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was to convene an urgent meeting Thursday with ministers and senior officials to discuss the evacuation.

Canada has suffered a record number of forest fires this year. More than 5,700 fires have burned more than 137,000 square kilometers (53,000 square miles), according to the Canadian Inter-Agency Wildland Fire Center. As of Thursday, 1,053 wildfires were burning across the country, more than half of which were out of control.

In the Northwest Territories alone, 268 wildfires have already burned more than 21,000 square kilometers (8,100 square miles).

Officials said evacuations from the Northwest Territories have so far been safe and orderly, and that evacuees from the capital who cannot find their own accommodation can get help at three centers in the neighboring Alberta which were to open at noon on Thursday. The closest of these centers is more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) by road from Yellowknife.

Authorities added that only those who cannot get out by road should sign up for evacuation flights. People who are immunocompromised or have a condition that puts them at increased risk were also encouraged to register.

“We are all tired of the word ‘unprecedented’, but there is no other way to describe this situation in the Northwest Territories,” Premier Caroline Cochrane said on X, formerly known as Twitter’s name. He urged residents to obey emergency management officials, traffic control devices and posted speed limits. “The country is watching us, and our neighbors have us in their thoughts and prayers.”