A double rainbow appeared over the near-deserted city of Yellowknife on Sunday evening, inspiring hope virtually, as crews kept the wildfire 15 km from the remote northern community..Roughly 20,000 people have left and headed south to Alberta after an evacuation order was issued and residents had till noon Friday to vacate the NWT.."Winds shifted southwesterly through much of the afternoon (Sunday) and were lighter than forecast," NWT Fire said.."Fire activity picked up slightly by afternoon as the area dried out, some rain fell in Yellowknife beginning 7:45 p.m., but was very short-lived.". Double rainbow over YellowknifeA double rainbow over Yellowknife on Sunday. .After the rain, a double rainbow appeared over the near-empty city.."She's pouring the rain, God's are on our side," Castley Taylor said on Facebook, posting a picture..NWT Fire said several wind shifts are expected on Monday, between northeasterly in the morning, to easterly in the afternoon, then southeast by evening, NWT Fire added.."This would primarily push the fire back into itself and will likely not progress significantly," NWT Fire said.."There is also a chance of some light rain.".NWT Fire said on Sunday, the fire is highly unlikely to reach the outskirts of Yellowknife by Monday or Tuesday.."While forecast conditions indicated a possibility for growth of up to 4 to 5 km, the fire did not progress significantly on Sunday due to successful suppression work and lighter winds than expected," NWT Fire said.."Infrared scanning indicated roughly 40 km of the hotline at the perimeter, with some new hot areas discovered beyond the fire perimeter to the east, indicating minor progression.".The NWT Fire team, alongside the City of Yellowknife and the Canadian Armed Forces, said the teams are doing everything possible to slow the growth of this fire and protect the community..What's being done to protect the City of Yellowknife.Helicopters and air tankers hit targets throughout the day to slow the growth of the fire and were successful..• Building more than 10 km of control line to the west of Yellowknife, with crews cutting line, heavy equipment expanding upon them and fire retardant being laid to provide a base for operations and a line from which an ignition operation will be considered to head off this fire before it reaches the outskirts of the city..• Work continues on an expansive network of fuel breaks, sprinklers and other protective measures being put in place by our team, the City of Yellowknife, and countless private contractors working in concert to protect the capital..• Crews continue mopping up around Behchoko and addressing any hotspots..The citywide evacuation was issued Wednesday night as thousands of people hit the road south to Alberta..READ MORE: WATCH: NWT residents tell of harrowing evacuations from fire-ravaged territory.One of those residents was a Newfoundlander who lives in Yellowknife.."Driving through Enterprise was devastating," Beverly Pilgrim told the Western Standard as she arrived at the evacuation centre in Edmonton..My mind still hasn't processed what I saw on my drive.".Pilgrim said waterbomber planes were fighting the fires that burned along the side of the highway making it safe for them to pass as they fled the NWT..Pilgrim said at one point she was at a standstill for three hours until crews made it safe for her to drive through the flames.
