Rain helps Beau Del crews as fires approach Highway 3

Rain in the Beaufort Delta lowered the region’s fire danger on Tuesday, allowing five wildfires to be brought under control, while drivers on Highway 3 said fires are now close to the road.

A driver on Highway 3 between Fort Providence and Behchokǫ̀ said on Tuesday evening that at its closest point, one fire had been “basically the same distance from the road as the width of Frame Lake.”

Hotspots from Nasa-backed fire-tracking website Firms – which is not always 100-percent accurate but can be used to back up reports on the ground – shows areas of fire in the vicinity of the highway by mid-afternoon on Tuesday.

NWT Fire had warned that fires in the North Slave “may impact Highway 3” on Tuesday or Wednesday. Drivers may also face visibility issues on areas of Highway 3 and Highway 9.

All roads were open according to DriveNWT as of first thing Wednesday, though drivers in those areas should expect delays.

Meanwhile, crews are working on fire EV016 about 30 km east of Inuvik. “Containing this fire remains a high priority,” NWT Fire stated on Tuesday evening.

“Quick work is being made in the wake of rain to contain the south and west flanks of the fire to prevent growth towards Inuvik.”

A number of fires are burning in the high latitudes of the Beaufort Delta after recent lightning.

A fire five kilometres from Fort McPherson had been slowed “to a near stop” by aggressive air attack after its discovery on Monday, NWT Fire stated. “Local ground crews following up on initial attack today and are making excellent progress.”

Another fire 15 km from the same community is in the process of being contained.

Fire ZF011, between Campbell Lake and Blachford Lake southeast of Yellowknife, was “highly active” on Tuesday but is “growing away from values in the area,” NWT Fire stated. A fire some distance southwest of Edzo, ZF023, has also received aggressive air attack to hinder growth toward the community or highway.

In the Dehcho, work continues to stop fires east of Fort Liard from making progress toward the hamlet, and to tame a fire midway between Fort Simpson and Jean Marie River.

“The incident management team and wildfire crews assigned to this fire continue to take advantage of the opening offered by the rain event yesterday,” NWT Fire reported on Tuesday.

“Crews have established helipads for access and are working around the fire’s edge to expose hotspots, get water on them, and contain the perimeter. Air support continues work to keep intensity low so ground forces can make good progress.”

Overall, no immediate threats to communities were reported.