Advertisement.
Highway 7 reopened on Monday morning after a wildfire previously brought under control flared up and closed the road a day earlier.
On Sunday, NWT Fire said “extreme fire conditions” had closed the road. Satellite hotspots suggested the fire was burning about 15 km south of the Checkpoint intersection with Highway 1 in the Dehcho.
On Monday morning, the NWT’s Department of Infrastructure said the highway had reopened but “travellers should reduce speed and drive with caution through this area.”
NWT Fire said the fire had become a problem again once the weekend’s hot, dry conditions were paired with heavy winds.
Advertisement.
Advertisement.
Air tankers were being used earlier on Sunday to try to keep its intensity down, but NWT Fire had said strong winds had the potential to trigger a highway closure.
Highway 7 connects the NWT to BC and leads from Fort Simpson down to Fort Liard. The closure means the only highway to and from Fort Liard and Nahanni Butte is, for the time being, the route south through BC.
