愛污传媒

Skip to main content

Satellite captures images of wildfire scars near Yellowknife, damage in B.C.'s Okanagan

Share

Images captured by satellite show the extent of some of the damage caused by wildfires in Canada this summer.

Shortwave-infrared images provided to 愛污传媒 by the Canadian Space Agency and Natural Resources Canada show brown scarring among the greenery of the Northwest Territories.

An image of the Yellowknife area captured by the Sentinel-2 satellite, which is part of the European Union's Copernicus Program, on Tuesday, a day before officials ordered the phased evacuation of the capital.

The burn scars show the areas already destroyed by wildfires in the territory. Since the time of the image's capture, Yellowknife's approximately 22,000 people have been told to leave.

The latest forecast suggested winds would shift eastward, directing fires burning west of the city towards populated areas. have also been evacuated, and the territory is under a state of emergency.

Image credit: European Union, Copernicus Program 2023 / Sentinel-2 imagery processed by SentinelHub

Photos and video of the Yellowknife area showed long lines of vehicles as residents fuelled up and left their homes behind. Others fled through chartered or commercial flights.

Members of the Canadian Armed Forces have been brought in to assist firefighters, and air tankers are also part of the fight.

Vehicles line up for fuel at Fort Providence, N.W.T., on the only road south from Yellowknife, Aug. 17, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Two more of these images show an area near Enterprise, a hamlet close to the Alberta border and among the first to be evacuated. The settlement was destroyed by fires.

These images show fire scarring just outside of the community but give an idea of the extent of the damage. They were captured on Sunday and Wednesday.

Image credit: European Union, Copernicus Program 2023 / Sentinel-2 imagery processed by SentinelHub

Image credit: European Union, Copernicus Program 2023 / Sentinel-2 imagery processed by SentinelHub

Devastation from wildfires was visible from the Earth's orbit elsewhere in Canada as well.

Other images captured by Sentinel-2 show damage in the wake of a fire in the Okanagan area of British Columbia.

The satellite imagery shows the Eagle Bluff area, near Osoyoos, B.C., and Oroville, Wash., as they appeared on July 28, July 21, Aug. 2 and Aug. 12.

The first images show the area as it was, while the second and third show smoke during a wildfire that tore through 70 square kilometres of land on both sides of the border. The final images show the damage left behind.

The photos at the bottom show the natural colour, as seen from orbit, while the images at the top are shortwave-infrared, and show smoke, active fire locations and delineation of the area, officials told CTVNews.ca.

Image credit: European Union, Copernicus Program 2023 / Sentinel-2 imagery processed by SentinelHub

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

The president and CEO of New Brunswick-based Covered Bridge Potato Chips is taking an 'extended leave of absence' after being charged with domestic violence this past weekend.

A memorial is growing outside a Walmart in Halifax after a 19-year-old employee was found dead inside an oven in the store Saturday night.

A search has started at Prairie Green Landfill for the remains of two victims of a serial killer.

He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

Canada's discount airline is suspending operations to and from Saskatoon.

A new report suggests that Canadians' exposure to a radioactive gas is increasing, putting millions of people at a higher risk of developing lung cancer.

Local Spotlight

He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.

Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.

A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.

Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.

Looking for a scare with good intentions this Halloween season? The ghosts and ghouls of Eganville, Ont. invite families to tour the Haunted Walk at Lekbor Manor.

The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that 鈥 and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.