Six fires are burning within 50 kilometers of Yellowknife, according to the territory’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR).
The closest fire is about 30 kilometers from the city, between the Ingraham Trail and Jennejohn Lake. The fire is roughly one hectare in size and is under control.
“Conditions around the North Slave are the driest in the NWT,” said Richard Olsen, manager of fire operations with ENR.
Crews have also managed to control a blaze roughly one kilometer from the Bluefish hydro dam. No damage has been reported.
Another fire, near Bliss Lake, is approximately 15 hectares in size and roughly eight kilometers from the Ingraham Trail.
“There is no threat to any community or property,” Olsen said.
Four additional crews are being brought in from the South Slave region Tuesday to help with the firefighting as hot, dry and windy conditions are expected to continue in the coming days.
As a result, a fire ban remains in place within Yellowknife city limits, Fred Henne and Yellowknife River Territorial Parks.
“We really stress that individuals who see the need to light a fire for cooking or for keeping warm, really consider whether you need to in the first place and if not, it’s best to avoid that,” Olsen said.
Meanwhile, officials are expecting to survey a new fire roughly 10 kilometers from the community of Łutselk’e.
A total of 13 new fires have been reported in the last 24 hours across the territory, bringing the total to 76 so far this season. That’s 20 per cent fewer fires than usual for this time of year, officials say.
You can find the latest forest fire information here.
