NWT wildfire evacuees arrive in Ottawa

After a gruelling 23 hours in transit, Yellowknife resident Cara Bryant has reunited with her mother here in Ottawa.

"It was very hard knowing to drive out, to fly out, we just didn't know which was the best option," said Bryant. "Almost every flight was full."

Her family of four is one of the thousands forced to evacuate their homes as wildfires burn close to communities in the Northwest Territories.

"I just worried about them being able to get out. I was just relieved to see them come through the door," said Bryant's mother Janice Loverock. "They were safe, they were here with me."

More than 19,000 people were evacuated in less than 48 hours. Officials warn it could be some time before evacuees can return home.

"That's probably the hardest part is not knowing how long or what we will go back to but we're taking it ay by day," said Bryant. "We're just trying to figure it out as we go."

The entire territory is under a state of emergency as crews continue to battle more than 200 wildfires. Yellowknife and smaller communities are virtually empty.

"Some communities completely obliterated by the fire. It's a very difficult very challenging situation both logistically and emotionally," said Mike Bryant. He says even with the cooler wet weather over the weekend, they need more rain. "It hasn't been raining that's the big issue in the north this summer. These fires are deep into the ground it doesn't take long to get flaring again. They want to make sure these fires are out and it could take awhile."

So now they wait, wondering when they can go home and what they will find.

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