'Driving through embers': Hay River family flees wildfires in N.W.T. as vehicle melts around them

CBC News | Posted: August 16, 2023 5:09 PM | Last Updated: August 16, 2023

Hay River family of 4 drove as their car was melting, windows were breaking

Image | Burned vehicles outside Enterprise

Caption: Burned vehicles outside Enterprise, N.W.T., on Monday. RCMP on Monday morning reported about 12 vehicles that had been 'immobilized or destroyed by the fire.' (Submitted by Ron Pierrot)

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A mother of two from Hay River, N.W.T., says her vehicle began melting around her and her family feared for their lives as they fled the community Sunday afternoon after an evacuation order for the town was issued.

Hay River was one of five communities told to evacuate on Aug. 13, as wildfires in the southern part of the territory grew incredibly fast.

The evacuation order for Hay River came in at 3 p.m. on Sunday, but mere hours later the highway from Hay River to Enterprise was closed due to a fire near Paradise Gardens and Garden Road and by 7 p.m. people were being told to head to the airport to evacuate by air.

Hay River mayor pleads with remaining residents to leave while they still can

Image | vehicle damage from wildfire hay river bumper

Caption: Lisa Mundy's bumper after evacuating from Hay River and driving along a highway near wildfire. (Submitted by Lisa Mundy)

Mundy thinks her family was some of the last people to get out of the community by highway as the fire was close to the highway and visibility was low when the family drove through.

"You couldn't see anything we were driving through embers," Mundy said.

"I was obviously scared the tire was going to break, our car was going to catch on fire and then it went from just embers to full smoke."

During the drive, Mundy said the front window cracked and the vehicle started to melt and fill up with smoke. Travelling with her husband and two children, an 18-month-old and a six-year-old, Mundy said the trip was traumatizing for everyone including her older son.

"He actually said to me, 'I don't want to die, mommy,' and he kept saying it so many times," she told the CBC.

Image | leaving Hay River Aug. 2023

Caption: Cars lined up to leave Hay River, N.W.T., on Sunday afternoon. (Carla Ulrich/CBC)

The mother of two said visibility was so bad they could not see the lines on the road and ended up driving in the ditch a couple of times.

"I ended up calling 911 and I think I was the one that got them to close the road down because after we went through the road got shut down."

Mundy estimates the family drove through the worst of it for about 20 minutes.

"It was honestly insane. When I got out of our vehicle in Enterprise, I just cried."

Enterprise, N.W.T., '90 per cent gone' after wildfire ravages community

Image | Heat damaged vehicle from Hay River

Caption: The heat-damaged mirror of Hay River resident Lisa Mundy's car. Mundy drove out of Hay River, N.W.T., Sunday at around 6:30 p.m. Her car was damaged between Paradise Gardens and Enterprise, N.W.T. Mundy is now safe in Valleyview, Alberta. (Submitted by Lisa Mundy)

After a quick stop in Enterprise, the family carried on to Alberta and made it to Valleyview, about 110 kilometres east of Grande Prairie. Registration centres were set up in High Level and Peace River, while anyone who drove before the highway was closed was asked to check in at the reception centre in Grand Prairie.

In a Monday afternoon press conference, N.W.T. Municipal and Community Affairs Minister Shane Thompson said more than 450 evacuees had registered in Grande Prairie, urging other evacuees to check in at reception and registration centres.

There is also a Facebook group so evacuees from the territory who are safe can notify loves ones.

For Mundy's family, she says they have family group chats going to keep in touch and give support. She also appreciates how the community, while evacuated and scattered, is still looking out for each other.

The territorial government has provided the following information for residents:

N.W.T. residents who need to evacuate can register here.
Territorial wildfire updates can be found here. Report smoke or fire by calling 1-877-698-3473.
Emergency response resources can be found here.
The latest community statuses, including notices, alerts and orders, can be found here.
Additional information for evacuees can be found here.

'Driving through embers': Hay River family flees wildfires in N.W.T. as vehicle melts around them

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