“Every one of those fires didn’t need to use up public resources if folks had made good decisions and stuck to the public contract that we all have with each other to keep each other safe.”
– Mike Westwick
After five active campfires were found abandoned over the Victoria Day weekend, NWT Fire is urging northern residents to take proper care of their campsites, as any mistakes can easily take a disastrous turn.
Mike Westwick, a representative of NWT Fire, said that while lightning strikes are the most common cause of wildfires in the North, unattended campfires are the most common when it comes to fires started by humans.
“I would say that all of these [weekend fires] were discovered on patrol, meaning that our folks picked it up. We didn’t actually receive reports in this case. We see it all too often. I would say that the key thing here is that every one of these fires is completely preventable. Every one of those fires didn’t need to use up public resources if folks had made good decisions and stuck to the public contract that we all have with each other to keep each other safe.
“These are some pretty concerning signals at the start of the season here, and certainly something we’re calling on people to do a lot better on as we move ahead into some more challenging weather conditions.”
Mike Westwick NWT Fire spokesperson during a media call in 2024 media call. (Image courtesy Microsoft Teams.)
Westwick went on to explain that some of the most high profile wildfires in the last few years had been caused by campfires that were left unattended. Last year’s Fort Good Hope fire is suspected to have been caused by a human-made fire, which then led to the evacuation of the entire community. Fire crews spent much time and effort to contain and eventually extinguish that incident.
Additionally, the 2023 fire in the K’atlodeeche First Nation sparked an incredibly challenging fire season, which was also caused by an abandoned campfire.
“So there again, small mistakes, small instances of not taking the right steps with fire leading to really big consequences for people, and most importantly, to the disruption of folks’ normal lives.”
Currently, NWT Fire is investigating the cause of a recent fire that nearly forced the community of Fort Smith to evacuate. He states that there are no new developments yet, but they are asking for any members of the public who may know something to share that information with them.
“That was a close call, and we want to make sure that we investigate the situation fully.”
Campfires are a great way to enjoy the Northwest Territories. But they need to be properly supervised and fully extinguished when done. (CKLB files)
Last year, NWT Fire introduced a team of Prevention Specialists who would help teach all the ways that fires can be properly contained and extinguished, among other Firesmart practices. Westwick reports that since their introduction, they have managed to reduce the number of human-made fires down to just 12%.
“We brought several local fire departments into delivering fire smart programs, like the advanced home assessment program, spent time over the winter training others up to deliver the neighbourhood recognition program and expanding that capacity every day so that our local communities are ready to participate in the Firesmart program.
“We also completed almost 100 fire smart home assessments with individual homeowners and ourselves as well, so that was a really big success. We’ve got a lot of momentum moving forward because of that additional capacity that we’ve invested in to drive these programs forward across the NWT.”
Westwick concluded by saying that these last few weeks have made for a rough start to this year’s fire season. Of the eight fires that have occurred so far, seven of them had been caused by humans.
“We’ve got a lot of summer ahead of us, and if this pattern keeps up, it’s just a matter of time before something gets into the bush and causes a real problem for folks,” he said.
“My urge to everybody is to get to know the fire danger in your area. If it’s high or extreme, avoid having fires if you can, unless it’s absolutely necessary for cooking or warmth. Never be shy to speak up amongst your friend groups or families when you see people being careless with fires. Abandoned campfires are the number one reason that wildfires start because of people in our territory, and frankly, folks listen to people that they care about and trust more than they tend to do to the government, so people can make a real difference.”
