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The Hay River Fire Department responded to a structural fire and two human-caused fires over the long weekend.
During Tuesday’s town council meeting, Hay River’s senior administrator Glenn Smith said the structural fire was along Gates Drive and spread to two sheds and a detached garage.
He said firefighters arrived within minutes, were able to stop the blaze from reaching nearby homes, and “definitely saved multiple residential buildings.”
“We had the engine rolling with a full crew, and the fire department did a very good job of making sure the fire didn’t get into any of the principal buildings in that area,” Smith said.
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The second fire was a human-caused fire near Pine Point, which NWT Fire dubbed SS002 and said was started by a camp fire that escaped on Monday. It burned 0.01 hectares and was declared out on Tuesday.
Smith said town firefighters worked alongside territorial firefighters for a few hours to contain the wildfire. Campers on site also assisted with heavy equipment, he said.
The third fire, Smith said, was near the Kátł’odeeche First Nation’s band office and appeared to have been human-caused. He said firefighters responded with contracted resources to help extinguish the fire.
In a notice posted to Facebook on Monday, the First Nation advised residents that a fire ban is in effect on the reserve until further notice because of ongoing dry conditions and high wildfire risk.
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The notice urged residents to exercise extreme caution with any activity that could generate sparks, including the use of ATVs and other equipment capable of igniting grass or brush.
NWT Fire has assessed the fire danger in Hay River as being high over the next three days. It says that means “fast rates of spread are possible.”
The First Nation advised community members to ensure all equipment is in good working condition, to keep fire extinguishers and other suppression tools readily accessible when operating machinery, and to report any signs of fire immediately.
