On Friday, August 25, around 3:00pm, all non-fire crew personnel remaining in the Town of Hay River were instructed to evacuate the community immediately.
Among those evacuated, Hay River Mayor Kandis Jameson and her dogs fled via flight, alongside five other essential personnel, to the south to seek refuge from the increasingly dangerous fire situation in the north.
“It was a rollercoaster looking out, and seeing that fire rolling towards your town is something I’ll never forget,” Jameson says.
“I felt like I was abandoning the people that are working the hardest for us, but it was time to get out,” the mayor adds.
According to Jameson, the evacuation saw 61 non-fire personnel on the first flight alone, followed by 105 military, two residents, and the mayor with five colleagues on the second.
However, Mayor Jameson shared a grim insight into the current situation in the town after nearly 200 people fled yesterday.
“We believe there are still people in the community which is very scary,” Jameson tells MyTrueNorthNow.
“I do implore anybody in the community, if you have options, you really need to look at them.”
“The fire is in our community, and the last thing they do is remove the essential workers, so if that doesn’t tell people how serious a situation we’re in, I’m not sure what will,” she adds.
Additionally, officials shared details regarding structure loss in the community, and Mayor Jameson emphasized the importance of ‘counting wins’ during this unprecedented situation.
“One of the biggest concerns last night was losing our water treatment plant which is a multi million dollar building,” Jameson says.
“We didn’t lose our water treatment plant which is a huge win.”
“One trailer and one cabin by the lake were damaged, but that appears to be all of it” Hay River Administrative Officer Patrick Bergen adds.
Mayor Jameson says currently, 100 people are estimated to remain on Vale Island, where Hay River’s Merlyn Carter airport is located.
