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Rain began in Fort Simpson on Wednesday, village officials said, representing a minor and temporary reprieve in the broader battle against a wildfire that has established itself in the community.
Fire FS016 has burned into residential subdivisions south of the main village since last Friday. Crews have spent days – and nights – working to keep individual homes safe from it, with the wildfire sometimes smouldering steps away from doors and walls.
“It will take a lot more than a few drops to stop this fire but, with how dry the land is, we will take what we can get,” the Village of Fort Simpson stated just before lunchtime on Wednesday.
“Cooler weather resulted in slower fire growth along the ground last night, but gusting southeast wind ensured that anything that did light up burned extra bright.
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“Firefighters will continue their mission of structure protection and hotspot hunting. The rain is forecasted to continue, and we can only hope that we will be able to look back on this as the turning of the tide for this fire fight.”
Fort Simpson has been under an evacuation order for 10 days. Its 1,300 residents were told to head for Yellowknife.
Weather over the village in the coming days will remain wet according to Environment Canada, which forecasts periods of rain on Thursday and more showers on Friday, with a chance of a storm.
Firefighting officials have cautioned that FS016 will require weeks of work in a challenging environment. There is no timeline for residents to return home.
