Extreme fire conditions and shifting winds yesterday allowed many fires in the territory to grow in unexpected directions, particularly in the South Slave, North Slave, and parts of the Dehcho Regions.
Wildfire FS033, near Willowlake River, grew to over 1500 hectares. Structure protection is being deployed for values in the area, which are within 3 km of the fire. No communities are threatened at this time.
In the South Slave Region, SS034 grew within 3 km of Nonacho Lake. Structure protection has been deployed for the area, and controlled ignitions are planned to help control the fire’s growth.
One new fire was identified in the Sahtu Region as of the latest reports, roughly 130 km south of Norman Wells. It is currently being monitored.
In the North Slave Region, nine new fires were reported. All but one of them are currently being monitored for values protection.
In Wrigley, significant growth was seen on the east and west flanks as well as south, growing roughly 1 km closer to the community.
The fire broke containment lines in three places, but NWT Fire says that much of the central area of the southern flank remains contained.
Both ground and air crews were unable to engage in firefighting action yesterday as visibility was too poor.
At this time there is not believed to be a significant risk of the fire continuing to approach Wrigley, and no losses of cabins or structures have been reported.
In Fort Simpson, hot and dry conditions continue to cause very active wildfire behavior.
A hotspot was able to flare up into a 20-hectare excursion, highlighting how volatile wildfire activity can be in these conditions.
Aircraft were only able to operate for an hour in the morning yesterday before visibility became too poor for them to continue.
Mop-up operations continue along the fire’s east flank as crews work to clear the remaining hotspots.
