This First Person article is the experience of Damien Haogak, who lives in Yellowknife. For more information about CBC’s First Person stories, please see the FAQ.
After four years of university in Edmonton, I moved back to Yellowknife in 2023 with my partner. The pandemic meant I didn’t have many opportunities to return home, and I was happy to be back North, even if it meant a higher cost of living. This is where my heart is.
Wildfires were nothing new to me. In 2017, a wildfire threatened my community of Fort Good Hope, N.W.T., and my family and I were almost evacuated with everyone else.
But something about this season seemed different. At the time I returned home, Yellowknife was taking in wildfire evacuees from nearby N.W.T. communities, such as Hay River, Rae and Edzo.
And then, the fire approached the capital.
Thankfully, the N.W.T. government had kept tabs on wildfire threats and ensured that we were …