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The Northwest Territories wildfire agency says the first two wildfires reported in the territory this year are now under control.
NWT Fire announced late last week that it had located two fires burning northwest of Fort Smith using infrared scanning. The wildfire agency said the fires were holdovers from last year’s wildfire season, the worst on record in the territory’s history.
In an update on Tuesday morning, NWT Fire said both fires, which burned a collective two hectares, had been brought under control by two crews and a helicopter. The agency said the fires would be “cold trailed” to check for any remaining heat.
“Well done to the team working these fires who helped get the season started on the front foot,” NWT Fire stated in a Facebook post.
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The wildfire agency has been using infrared scanners from the air in an effort to detect fires that have continued to burn since last summer that could pose a threat to communities. Overwintering fires, sometimes referred to as zombie fires, are fires that smoulder deep underground throughout the winter before re-emerging in the spring.
Wildfire information officer Mike Westwick has previously said given last year’s intense wildfire season, which saw more than 4.1 million hectares burned across the NWT, more overwintering activity is expected this year.
On Tuesday morning, Westwick told Cabin Radio the two fires in the South Slave are the only overwintering fires that have been detected so far.
Westwick said wildfire crews had removed trees from near the fires, dug into the soil where deep burning was occurring and doused the fires with water.
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“I think it’s good news that we’re getting out there and we’re finding this stuff early,” he said.
Infrared scanning has also been completed in the North Slave where Westwick said no fires were detected. He said scanning is being planned for Hay River and the territory’s Dehcho region.
“It’s positive that there was nothing found,” he said of scans in the North Slave. “But we’re not sitting back and kind-of waiting, we’re going to be continuing to look for targets out there.”
Ollie Williams contributed reporting.
