A new fire has popped up in the North Slave region, due east of Dettah, near Jennejohn Lake.
Fire ZF005 started by a lightning strike on June 1st, and as of Monday morning was four hectares and considered out of control. NWT Fire has started an initial attack.
On the weekend, NWT Fire reports that, “despite the best efforts by wildland firefighters,” two structures were lost at separate locations near Fort Smith, due to extreme fire activity.
The first location had sprinklers set up, and it experienced a loss of one structure. The newer cabins on site survived.
The second location saw complete structure loss. Crews were not able to set up structure protection due to poor visibility and increased fire activity in the area. The owners of both cabin sites have been notified.
Says NWT Fire: “It is always unfortunate when structures are lost. These threats are a reality in wildland areas. Always be proactive and FireSmart your homes and cabins to reduce the threat of damage when wildfires do happen.”
Structure protection operations were able to save numerous other structures throughout the weekend.
DEHCHO REGION:
FS001-25 (74 kilometres East of Fort Liard): This lightning-caused fire is estimated to be 200 hectares in size. Crews continue to monitor this fire as it progresses naturally. There are currently no threats to communities, cabins, or infrastructure.
FS002-25 (30 kilometres Southwest of Sambaa k’e): This lightning-caused fire has grown to 500 hectares and is out of control. Crews are setting up sprinklers on cabins which may be threatened. There is no threat to the community of Sambaa k’e at this time.
FS003-25 (14 kilometres North of the BC Border): This lightning-caused fire is approximately 15 hectares in size and is out of control. Crews are working to limit its growth and will complete structure protection on values in the area as needed.
FS004-25 (13 kilometres North of the BC Border): This fire is 1 hectare in size and is currently out of control. It is being acted on to limit its growth. Today, crews made significant progress in bringing this fire under control. Crews will continue to complete structure protection as needed.
FS005-25 (27 kilometres southwest of Fort Simpson, eight kilometres northwest of Antoine Lake, west side of the Martin River): This new lightning-caused fire is one hectare in size and considered out of control. Aircraft and crews have begun their initial attack. There is no risk to cabins, infrastructure or communities at this time.
SOUTH SLAVE REGION:
Smoke may be visible from Highway 1, Hay River and Fort Smith from these wildfires and the fires burning in Alberta/Wood Buffalo National Park. There are no threats to communities or infrastructure at this time.
SS007-25 (24 kilometres northwest of Fort Smith, along the Slave River): The fire has grown to 325 hectares. It remains the same distance from Salt River and Fort Smith. Crews continue to attack the fire and set up sprinklers on cabins and values as needed.
SS008-25 (Cameron Hills): This fire, 13 kilometres west of Highway 1, is estimated to be 11,358 hectares in size. No threats to communities, cabins, or infrastructure at this time. Crews will continue to monitor the fire and deploy structure protection as required.
SS009-25 (Schaefer Lake, 28 km east of Fort Smith): This fire originates in Alberta and covers an area of 6,545 hectares. Both Alberta and NWT fire crews will be collaborating under a unified command and are currently gathering more resources to manage the fire and deploy structural protection as the fire is seeing an increase in activity.
