What’s the deal with the wildfire near the NWT-Alberta border?

A wildfire that received international attention when it rolled across the highway near the NWT-Alberta border is still disrupting travel a week later.

Heather MacKenzie’s photos and video of a wildfire crossing Highway 35 just south of the border were published by Cabin Radio and later by worldwide news agencies like the BBC.

The fire risk hasn’t completely receded since. Travellers should still be prepared for delays when heading across the border using NWT Highway 1 and Alberta Highway 35.

As of Thursday, May 16, an Alberta government update stated some 80 firefighters, eight helicopters and 16 pieces of heavy equipment were working on the fire, which is labelled HTZ001. The High Level area update is the best place to find information about that fire.

“Periodic strong winds and dry conditions are creating moderate-to-intense fire behaviour,” that update reported on Thursday. Highway 35 was closed that evening for several hours and pilot vehicles were then used to escort people through.

If you’re planning to travel, check the NWT highway conditions webpage and the 511 Alberta traffic updates page before you go. (As of 9:30am on Friday the highways were open, but that could change quickly and regularly.)

HTZ001 started in 2023 and sprang back to life in the spring of 2024.

Over the two years combined, it has burned more than 55,000 hectares of land.

Its western border comes up against another major fire’s burn area from last year, and together the two burn areas stretch all the way from the edge of Sambaa K’e to Highway 35 and beyond, a distance of more than 200 km.