As Fire 52 intensified near Hay River in the Northwest Territories, evacuation orders were issued and Highway 2 became a narrow, smoke-filled corridor of stalled vehicles, poor visibility, and rapidly changing fire behaviour.
In this mini-episode, Franco Nogarin, a Forest Planning Officer and Wildfire Modeller with the Government of the Northwest Territories, reads his unedited first-person account of that night. What unfolds is a moment-by-moment record of decision-making under pressure: interpreting fire behaviour through smoke, balancing training against instinct, managing family safety, and recognizing the point at which conditions cross from dangerous to untenable.
This story will resonate with first responders and emergency professionals who understand how quickly plans degrade in dynamic environments. It captures the reality of near-miss events, the unseen actions of civilians who step into leadership roles, and the aftermath that follows once adrenaline fades: gratitude, guilt, and the need to make meaning of survival.
This episode is offered not as analysis, but as lived experience, one that reflects the complexity, unpredictability, and human cost of large-scale evacuations.