The wildfire in Wood Buffalo near the Whooping Crane nesting area is currently estimated to be 53,000 hectares in size and remains out of control. Aircraft operations were halted today because of weather conditions and safety concerns
Rainfall brought some level of reduced fire activity. There were no new fires reported as of this afternoon. Crews observed lowered fire behaviour overall, but are concerned about hot spots located on the fire’s border.
Currently, 176 personnel, 15 helicopters and 6 fuel bowsers are being mobilized in response to fire located about 22 km northeast of Highway 5. The fire was last estimated to be 53,124 hectares in size.
Crews said a 200-foot ceiling between the treetops and cloud cover have complicated the response.
Wildfire officials are assessing potential helicopter landing sites along Highway 5 as an alternative. They say these sites would allow them to continue air operations when conditions prevent aircrafts from landing safely in Fort Smith.
Today, firefighters continued evaluations of the wildfire situation and prepared for team transitions.
“Team Bravo, Parks Canada’s outgoing incident management team, spent the day completing evaluations and preparing for the arrival of Team Charlie,” read a message from Wood Buffalo officials.
Team Charlie is preparing to transition into the command role on the Parks Canada side by Wednesday morning. Team Charlie is anticipated to work under a Unified Command with Wildland firefighters.
Scans yesterday taken by crews showed that there are hundreds of hot spots along the south border of the fire.
“Last night’s infra-red scan revealed more than 600 hot spots along 34 km of the southern perimeter.”
Hot spots are areas that continue to conduct heat after the main fire front has passed.
“It can include smouldering roots or stumps, burning organic material in soil, partially burned logs or debris. Hot spots often don’t have visible flames, but they can hold heat for days or weeks.”
Firefighters said they are concerned that hot spots close to the fire perimeter could cross the containment lines and start spot fires outside the line.
Officials said they plan to mobilize teams with bucketing helicopter support to respond in this area once the ceiling improves.
The latest updates on the fire can be found on the WBNP Fire Status Dashboard or by contact 867-872-0443. Updates are also available on www.nwtfire.com
NWT Fire is advising the public to report any wildfires or smoke to 1-877-NWT-FIRE (698-3473). Wood Buffalo Fire officials said the public can also report wildfires or suspicious smoke to the Fire Duty Officer at 867-621-0136
Fire crews are urging the public to take all necessary precautions with campfires and follow any campfire bans in place.
More information on safety and prevention is available on the NWT Fire webpages
