Four active wildfires are burning in the Dehcho region as of June 10, according to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ (ENR) wildfire update portal.
READ MORE: Wildfire Update
Three of the blazes started in the last 24 hours and were all thought to be caused by lightning strikes.
The FS002 fire, about 32 km south of Wrigley is one hectare in size and efforts to fight the fire are underway.
FS003 is burning in a swampy area near Doctor Lake, about about 77.5 km west of Fort Simpson. The blaze was suppressed by air support and is now quiet.
FS004, about 19 km from Fort Liard is one hectare and crews are working to put it out.
The danger ratings for the first two fires are classified as “high” for June 10 and becoming “low” on June 11. The rating for the fire west of Fort Simpson is “low.”
Eight-day blaze
A fourth fire has been burning for eight days near N’Dulee Crossing, 70 km northwest of Fort Simpson.
Due to extremely dry weather and wind, the fire has more than tripled in size since June 4 and is now burning across 4,531 hectares.
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Smoke might affect Highway 1 north of the N’Dulee crossing, with easterly winds forecast for June 10.
An incident management team is working to control the fire.
Residents should expect the fire to grow in the short-term but infrastructure and communities don’t face immediate risk.
Extremely dry weather and windy conditions have caused the fire to grow.
The fire suppression team is working to prevent progression towards infrastructure in the region, such as the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Optic Line along the highway, a NorthwesTel microwave tower, Enbridge valve stations, and cabins along the highway.
Prescribed burning and the installation of sprinklers will help limit fire growth, according to ENR.
Air support is assisting with those activities.
Rain forecast for later in the week is hoped to reduce the likelihood of further fire growth.
Reassessments of the wildfire will be made daily.