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Several NWT communities with significant smoke plumes in their vicinity are being told the wildfires responsible do not currently pose a threat.
On Tuesday, smoke from a wildfire 13 kilometres south of Yellowknife could be seen from the city. The NWT’s wildfire agency said it had received calls from residents expressing “significant concern.”
That fire, while human-caused, is on an island well away from the shoreline and is “not threatening anything,” the agency stated on Facebook.
Outside Tulita, a wildfire that has worried residents for days burned to the south, north and east on Tuesday but did not burn west toward the hamlet, the agency stated. “Despite the fire being highly visible in Tulita, we remain confident it is not a threat to the community,” a fire information officer wrote.
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Cabins are being protected from a second wildfire southeast of Tulita that is also said to be no threat to the hamlet.
South of Tsiigehtchic, a wildfire that has rapidly burned through 5,000 hectares generated “huge smoke plumes” visible as far away as Inuvik, the agency stated, but the fire “is not as close to Tsiigehtchic as the visible smoke may suggest” and no communities are believed to be at risk.
In the South Slave, two new wildfires were reported in Wood Buffalo National Park on Tuesday afternoon.
The more prominent of the two is Fire 23, which is estimated to have burned through 80 hectares and was said by Parks Canada to be too intense for firefighters on the ground. Helicopters are tackling the fire instead, as is a GNWT air tanker group.
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The fire is 23 kilometres north of Highway 5 and around 30 kilometres southeast of Sandy Lake, near the park’s northern border.
“Smoke may be visible from the highway, so travellers are asked to drive with caution in the area,” Parks Canada stated.
“Highway 5 remains open, and there is no risk to any communities from these two fires at this time.”
Parks Canada said an ignition specialist was on the way to the fire to study “additional options for responding to the fire and assessing natural features in the area to work with.”
Lastly, a new fire outside Nahanni Butte was said to be just one kilometre from Highway 7.
“Residents and travellers should be aware it is highly visible from the highway. Nahanni Butte is not at threat,” the GNWT stated.
