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The territory’s wildfire agency says it is using a “traditional knowledge lens” to engage wildfire evacuees from Fort Good Hope.
Wildfire information officer Frank McKay said on Monday that translating wildfire updates into K’asho Got’ı̨nę and using maps has helped Elders to better understand what fire crews are doing. He said they also sit down with people one-on-one who want individual updates.
“This type of outreach builds goodwill and carries over into relationship building,” McKay said in an email.
“Over my experience and as an Indigenous person, we view the world through a visual lens and this is an effective means to communicate, letting the maps do the talking so to speak.”
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The out-of-control wildfire threatening Fort Good Hope, labelled VQ001, was last assessed as being 5,459 hectares in size. The community remains under an evacuation order.
The fire reached the edge of the community earlier this month but territorial wildfire officials said it has not resulted in any infrastructure loss to date.
Twenty firefighters from the Yukon arrived in Fort Good Hope on Friday to assist with fire suppression efforts.
NWT Fire said on Monday dry weather is expected to continue. It said light easterly winds may push the fire back against the area where it has previously burned, which could lead to flare ups or hot spots. A fire perimeter scan is being planned to identify undetected hot spots.
The wildfire agency anticipated winds from the southeast later on Monday evening.
NWT Fire said crews are continuing to protect structures by working on the fire’s perimeter facing the community and suppressing the fire at the southern end of the community’s airport. Skimmers were deployed on Sunday afternoon to cool down a hot spot on the northeastern side of the fire, helicopters will make strategic drops to slow fire growth and traditional knowledge has identified water sources for on-the-ground use, the wildfire agency added.
