Environment

Second fire diverts some crews from Fort Good Hope wildfire

A human-caused fire outside the main evacuation community of Norman Wells forces more contingency plans


As firefighters and volunteers were desperately fighting to save Fort Good Hope after a campfire wasn’t extinguished, another “human caused” fire outside of Norman Wells drew crews away for a while on Sunday night. In Norman Wells, there are 225 evacuees from Fort Good Hope, whose lives were turned upside…


Sahtu economy ‘faces collapse’ without barge re-supply, says MLA Daniel McNeely

Norman Wells and other communities face possible recession; GNWT says 'all-of-government' help is in the works


Historically low water levels on the Mackenzie River forced the territorial government to cancel its Marine Transportation Services (MTS) barges to Norman Wells and Tulita for the 2024 sailing season. Daniel McNeely is MLA for the Sahtu riding. “Right now, businesses in the Sahtu region are in a crisis situation….


Flying firefighters spot blaze being sparked

A helicopter crew conducting regular surveillance flights witnessed a lightning strike start the NWT’s newest wildfire, something NWT Fire says is “very rare.” The fire is 0.5 hectares in size and located 34 kilometres southwest of Enterprise and seven kilometres west of Highway 1. Ground crews were dispatched and are…



Dehcho, South Slave fires held back by rain, helicopters and water bombers

UPDATE: Long-weekend campers need to heed regional open flame restrictions; South Slave ban ends at midnight


Favourable winds and rain have stopped the advance of major wildfires in southern areas of the Northwest Territories, allowing firefighters to make progress in battling the mid-spring blazes. With the largest fire, southwest of Fort Liard (FS002), about three millimetres of rain fell unevenly in the community since yesterday, NWT…


Three days of ‘more favourable winds’ will help battle Fort Liard blaze, says NWT Fire

UPDATE: In separate blaze, NWT Fire confirms two structures lost along Hwy 1 and more properties are at risk


Some promising news for people in the Dehcho region, as a shift in winds today will push the uncontained blaze back on itself and away from people or structures, stated an NWT Fire update. Mike Westwick is the NWT Fire spokesperson for the 873-hectare Fort Liard blaze (FS002). “Today, winds…