The noon deadline to leave Yellowknife in the NWT because of wildfires has passed as evacuation flights out of Yellowknife continue to leave hourly.."Passengers are being processed quickly," NWT Fire stated.."Please proceed to Sir John Franklin High School prepared to fly. If you have physical challenges and need support to get yourself to the Registration Centre at Sir John, call 867-444-0115.". Planes leaving YK hourlyYellowknife Airport tarmac. .NWT Fire said residents can arrange for the HandiVan for pickup if they need help.."Due to space and weight limitations, bag size is limited to standard carry-on," NWT Fire said.."Passengers are asked to bring no more than five days’ worth of clothing, as well as essentials such as medication, chargers and important family documents including identification, insurance and bank records.".Residents have been told by officials they have to clear out of Yellowknife by Friday afternoon..The citywide evacuation was issued Wednesday night as thousands of people hit the road south to Alberta..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..Linda Khounkhong of Yellowknife also made the trek to Edmonton in the middle of the night. Khounkhong said it was tough to leave her entire life behind.."The drive was longer than usual," Khounkhong said who drove an entire day to get to Alberta.."Passing through Enterprise was hard to see it being wiped out. It was still smouldering.".The small community of Enterprise, some 80 km north of the Alberta border on the Mackenzie Highway was wiped off the map..The City of Edmonton opened its emergency evacuation shelter at the Expo Centre on Friday.."We are working with all orders of government to provide support wherever we can," City of Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said.."Our hearts go out to those being impacted by the wildfires burning in the Northwest Territories.".Prime Minister Justin Trudeau toured the evacuation centre late Friday evening. Trudeau took the time to speak with evacuees and briefly spoke to the media before he left. No question availability was given to the media..Trudeau said he spoke with the premier of the NWT a couple of days ago and has stayed in close contact as extremely difficult decisions are made.."I really want to recognize that the situation in Yellowknife that we're still hoping doesn't become the worst-case scenario," Trudeau said.."The number of people who have been evacuated, taking these incredibly long drives to get to safety and doing it in a thoughtful, orderly way, being there to help out each other look out for each other is really the best not just what Canada is, but particularly people living in the north with a sense of community and looking out for each other is truly extraordinary.".READ MORE: NWT RCMP say Thursday night fire in Yellowknife is believed to be arson.The Yellowknife RCMP said on Friday an overnight fire in the NWT is believed to be deliberately set in an area hard to access by fire crews..Around 4 a.m., the Yellowknife RMCP received a call reporting a fire on the Deh Cho Boulevard..RCMP officers immediately attended after confirming Yellowknife Fire had been dispatched. Officers arrived and used fire extinguishers to contain the blaze until Yellowknife Fire was able to fully extinguish it..Police told the Western Standard an aerosol can was located on the scene and the fire is believed to be an arson..READ MORE: Thousands flee Yellowknife as wildfire approaches.On Thursday, officials said a wildfire 16 km west of Yellowknife could reach it by the weekend.."We know everyone is looking for information," NWT Fire stated.."We're doing our best to work with our crews who are actively fighting fires across the territory to get updates out."
