‘It’s still very emotional:’ Sask.-born judge relives Yellowknife evacuation ordeal

What could be a repeat of what happened in Fort McMurray, Alta., in 2016 seemed to be unfolding in Yellowknife on Friday.

With wildfires closing in, people have been frantically evacuating the capital of the Northwest Territories ever since the territorial government issued an evacuation order on Wednesday. People were to leave the city by Friday at noon.

One of those who already left Yellowknife is Stephanie Whitecloud-Brass, a judge of the Northwest Territories Territorial Court.

Stephanie Whitecloud-Brass left Yellowknife on Aug. 16, 2023. (Stephanie Whitecloud-Brass/Submitted)

Whitecloud-Brass, who’s originally from Saskatchewan’s Standing Buffalo Dakota Nation, is currently staying at a hotel in Calgary.

She told Gormley on Friday most people she knows are marking themselves as safe on social media.

“I think for those individuals who are still there, they’re trying to make arrangements as soon as they can to be evacuated as soon as possible, whether it’s by air or by vehicle,” Whitecloud-Brass said. “I think some people have taken to the water with their boats if they have them.”

The judge said she was presiding over court on Monday and Tuesday and noticed the strong smell of the smoke.

“(I thought) ‘This doesn’t seem to be getting any better, but we’re still working. We still have jobs to do,’ ” she said.

As a precaution, Whitecloud-Brass booked a refundable flight when the territorial government declared a state of emergency due to the wildfires.

“I don’t have family there … It’s not originally where I’m from,” she said. “My husband and my son were already in Saskatchewan. They were spending a little bit of a vacation time with my husband’s family, so that was great. I was glad that I didn’t have to worry about them.”

She said she went home that night and packed a carry-on bag with essentials, like insurance documents, the family’s passports and her marriage certificate. Whitecloud-Brass also recorded a video of her home with everything in it for insurance purposes.

“I saw my neighbours … packing up their vehicles (and) their RVs (but there were) people trying to remain calm,” she said. “My neighbour across the street had his SUV packed with a jerrycan full of gasoline on top of the vehicle ready to go.”

(Stephanie Whitecloud-Brass/Submitted)

Whitecloud-Brass said recording the video was very difficult for her to do emotionally.

“It was very emotional and it’s still very emotional and this just happened. It feels like a long time ago but this is only on Wednesday,” she said as she choked up. “I wasn’t sure exactly how else I would be able to prove what we had in the event … something catastrophic happened.”

She doesn’t know how long it will be before she and other evacuees will be able to return home.

“When I was on the airport ready to leave on Wednesday… when you’re looking out the window across the tarmac, you could see the smoke coming from one of the fires that’s closer to the community of Behchoko, Northwest Territories,” Whitecloud-Brass added. “That’s about 90 kilometres away from (Yellowknife). I mean, obviously, the fire is much closer than that.”

The judge pointed out her flight was delayed because of all the air traffic coming and going to try and contain the fire. She noted she’s thankful there are people there fighting the fires and helping others get out safely.

Saskatchewan has sent 37 firefighters to the Northwest Territories to help crews already battling the wildfires. On Friday, the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency said two air tankers, one birddog aircraft and 10 staff will be sent to the Northwest Territories by Saturday.

“The SPSA also is assessing its capacity to send additional firefighting staff early next week,” the agency said in an emailed statement.

Premier Scott Moe also offered whatever assistance the province could provide, including places to stay for those who were leaving the territory.