The Mayor of Yellowknife urged the last remaining residents of the city to evacuate to safer areas, emphasizing that although the regional capital has not been affected by nearby fires, it is still not safe for people to return or stay.

Officials in the Northwest Territories, where about half the population has been displaced due to ongoing wildfires, stated in a Friday evening update that more than 19,000 people have left Yellowknife so far, and of the 2,600 people still in the capital, 1,600 are considered non-essential workers.

Yellowknife Mayor Rebecca Alty told CTV News on Saturday, "In every community that attempts to evacuate, there are always a few people who just want to stay and protect their properties or don’t believe it’s real, they don’t think it’s a threat, so it poses a challenge, but we will continue to push, it’s time to leave now, and it should not reach a critical emergency."

Alty added that the reason is that the crews helping to protect the community can "focus on the existing threat and not have to worry about trying to keep people away from danger, so, again, I really encourage anyone, if your family is still here, keep encouraging them to leave."

Yellowknife, a city with a population of about 22,000, and other communities in the Northwest Territories are currently under an evacuation order and the government has declared a state of emergency due to the fires, with most residents fleeing to Alberta and Manitoba by land and through evacuation flights.

Meanwhile, the British Columbia government has also declared a state of emergency due to fires there, specifically in the West Kelowna area.

Officials in the Northwest Territories have been monitoring a fire located 15 kilometers northwest of Yellowknife, especially as winds shift and blow to the east.

Crews have constructed firebreaks, or strips of land cleared of trees and branches that could fuel fires, and have used sprinklers and water tenders to help prevent the fire from potentially spreading.

The territorial government stated on Friday evening, "While there is still a possibility that this fire could reach the suburbs of Yellowknife by the end of the weekend due to wind conditions, the risk of this timeline has decreased a bit with some help from the weather and some successful days in firefighting,”

The government adds that while conditions have been cooler than expected, Sunday may see a return to higher temperatures in the 20s accompanied by west winds.

Alty stated that while there has been some rainfall, it is still not enough to control the fire, adding, "I don’t want to paint an overly positive picture because I have also heard that it is safe to return, no, no it should not be safe to return."