Featured
No new wildfires, but hot, dry, windy conditions cause concern
Major fires are in Wood Buffalo National Park and “yesterday was a warm, arduous day on the fire line,' says Parks Canada.
NWT Fire on Wednesday issued a fire weather warning as hot, dry weather pushed into the Sahtu and Beaufort Delta regions.
In the southern regions, continued hot, dry, windy conditions were causing concern, as the tinder dry forests could easily spark if provided with an ignition source, such as lightning.
There were no new fires as of late Wednesday, stated NWT fire in a release.
If one pops up, NWT Fire has loaded patrols — helicopters with crews ready to attack new fires — underway to find fires, assess them, “and act fast if we find them,” stated Wildfire Information Officer Mike Westwick.
“Use your voice and encourage your friends and family to be safe on the land, and avoid burning if the fire danger is very high or extreme unless there are no other options for cooking or warmth.”
The major fires continue to be in Wood Buffalo National Park.
Wildfire WB004 is on the northeastern side of the park, near the Whooping Crane nesting area, approximately 22 kilometres northeast of Highway 5.
It has now grown to an estimated 40,678 hectares and is classified as out of control, stated Parks Canada. This fire remains within the park boundary and there is no threat to communities or infrastructure.
“Yesterday was a warm, arduous day on the fire line,” reports Parks Canada.
A crew of 20 firefighters from the NWT joined efforts along the mid-section of the fire’s eastern flank, focusing on securing sections of the fire line.
Their work was supported by GNWT fixed-wing skimmers operating in tandem with four bucketing helicopters.
This approach, stated Parks Canada, will cool the areas where the water drops occurred, creating safer conditions for firefighters to resume work there today.
Fire specialists will continue to look for opportune ignition windows and other opportunities that could limit the fire’s spread.
