At last measurement, the fire had burned about 14,000 hectares and remains within 10 kilometres of Tulita, but is on the far side of the Mackenzie River.
Grieving parents who lost their nine-year-old boy last week say their son died after a severe asthma attack made worse by wildfire smoke engulfing parts of British Columbia.
Samuel Roberts, 65, and Mark Elson, 51, said they were not prepared to be lost along the shore of Great Slave Lake when they headed out for a short fishing trip. But it became smoky and foggy, and the men became disoriented. The following day, when the air cleared, Roberts said they couldn't recognize anything. "We had no idea that we crossed over the Dettah side and [were] headed to the East Arm," said Elson.
Behchokǫ̀, a community of about 2,000 people northwest of Yellowknife, issued an evacuation order shortly before 6 p.m Monday evening. A wildfire is burning about 25 kilometres to the east of the Behchokǫ̀, and 45 kilometres northwest of Yellowknife.
Wildfires across the western United States and Canada have put millions of people under air quality alerts, as thousands of firefighters battle the flames.
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