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NWT Fire said the wind has driven a wildfire within 20 km of Jean Marie River after it “jumped containment lines,” but the community isn’t currently at risk.
Fire FS014 was “highly active” in Friday’s wind, the wildfire agency said in a Saturday evening update.
“An assessment today determined the fire jumped containment lines to the southeast and grew roughly six kilometres closer to Jean Marie River, driven by severe northerly winds,” NWT Fire stated, adding crews were pulled back on Friday for their safety.
The fire is now estimated to be 18 km northwest of the community at its closest point.
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“Our team will be working to address this growth as a priority over the coming days,” NWT Fire stated.
“Higher levels of moisture in the air and cooler temperatures today should lead to less intense burning conditions through the rest of the day.
“There remains no current threat to the community of Jean Marie River despite these challenges – more favourable winds are in the forecast after today.”
Jean Marie River was placed on evacuation alert earlier in the month because of the same fire. NWT Fire sent in structure protection specialists and the evacuation alert was downgraded on July 12.
Though the fire isn’t currently posing any risk, the community is told to expect “significant smoke” for the rest of the weekend.
Elsewhere in the NWT, there were no new fires reported on Saturday and no communities are threatened.
