Media Releases

City Response to Downtown Encampment

The City of Yellowknife is aware of the encampment that has been established downtown.  The City has been working collaboratively with the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) since August 2024 to find a sustainable solution to address unsheltered homelessness and encampments.  The City recognizes the impact of the current encampment on businesses and residents and is taking steps within its legal authorities to respond to the situation. 

The set-up of the current encampment appears to...

Structure Fire in Old Town

On Thursday, May 29, 2025, at 7:36 a.m., the Yellowknife Fire Division (YKFD) responded to multiple reports of visible flames in the vicinity of Pilot’s Monument in Old Town.

Upon arrival, firefighters located a small wooden structure approximately 400 feet from the road, estimated to be 20 by 10 feet in size. The structure had been largely consumed by fire, and nearby brush had begun to ignite. Crews acted quickly to bring the fire under control and conducted a thorough overhaul of the area to...

Structure Fire at Franklin House

On Thursday, May 29, 2025, at 2:07 a.m., the Yellowknife Fire Division (YKFD) responded to a report of visible flames on the third floor of Franklin House, located at 5009, 48 Street.

Upon arrival, firefighters observed flames emerging from a third-floor window. Crews acted swiftly, applying water to suppress the fire. Building evacuation efforts had already commenced prior to YKFD's arrival.

Firefighters entered the building and successfully extinguished the fire within the affected unit,...

Northwestel Planned Outage on May 28

In a recent announcement, Northwestel advised of a planned network upgrade scheduled for May 28, 2025, from 12:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. During this time, telecommunication services will be intermittent, with the following impacts expected:

• Cellular-to-landline communication will be disrupted

• Cell-to-cell and landline-to-landline communication may be intermittent

• Cable TV and internet services will remain operational

• Data circuits will be down

• 911 and the City’s backup emergency line (873-2222) may be...

FireSmarting Your Home

The City of Yellowknife Fire Division (YKFD), in collaboration with the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) Department of Environment and Climate Change (ECC) and FireSmart NWT, is pleased to continue offering wildfire resilience initiatives to residents of Yellowknife and N’dilǫ.

As part of this initiative, free Home Ignition Zone (HIZ) assessments are available upon request. These assessments are conducted by YKFD staff and provide property-specific recommendations to reduce...