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Wildfire northwest of YK holds steady as two fires spotted near Snare Hydro

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The Awry Lake wildfire 41 km outside of Yellowknife had grown to 4,084 hectares on July 27. Photo Courtesy of Amber Simpson
The 2400 hectare wildfire roughly 40km northwest of Yellowknife has not grown significantly as of Monday.
Photo Courtesy of Amber Simpson

The 2400 hectare wildfire roughly 40km northwest of Yellowknife has ceased to grow, but fire fighters are on standby until its extreme conditions ease, said N.W.T. Department of Environment and Natural Resources Amber Simpson on Monday.

After it a controlled burn was postponed Sunday, she said another was planned for the east side of the blaze to cut the fire off from possible fuel. That may result in residents spotting increased smoke in the area, she said.

Only air crews have attacked the fire thus far, while 26 firefighters are waiting for safe conditions to tackle it on the ground, she said. Meanwhile, another 20 firefighters are returning from Ontario to assist.

“When a fire’s showing that kind of extreme behaviour, we don’t want to put fire fighters in front of it because it’s not safe for them,” Simpson said.

The fire isn’t a threat to the city, she added

Meanwhile, lightning has caused two small wildfires sparked near Snare hydro. While one was within three km of the site, it was only four hectares large.