Yellowknife residents awoke to a sky bathed in an unusual orange hue Saturday morning, and that has forced the City of Yellowknife to cancel its much-anticipated Welcome Home event, which was originally scheduled for Saturday aternoon.
The air quality in the city was cited as a reason.
“Due to the air quality currently in Yellowknife, the Welcome Home Gathering planned for today will be cancelled,” stated the city on Saturday morning. “While it’s an unfortunate outcome, the safety of everyone is our primary concern."
The city said that the Welcome Back Shop Local will continue thoughout the weekend.
It stated that the free access to the Fieldhouse walking/running track and indoor playground are still in effect until the condition improves.
In terms of the smoke, Trista Haugland, fire information officer with NWT Fire, said the smoke we’re seeing is coming from Alberta.
“The smoke today is mostly contributed by the wildfire happening in Alberta,” she said. “The strong southwest wind last night pushed the smoke into Yellowknife, but a north wind is expected to make the situation better.”
Haugland said the northern wind should push the smoke away by the mid-evening hours.
