Wrigley fire has crept closer, NWT Fire says on Monday evening

The wildfire north of Wrigley continues to edge closer to the community, NWT Fire said on Monday evening, and a hot, dry day is expected on Tuesday.

Fire FS015 is within five kilometres of Wrigley’s northern edge, having moved slightly to the southeast on Monday afternoon. A spot fire on the Wrigley-Fort Good Hope winter road also had to be addressed.

The fire grew seven kilometres toward Wrigley over the weekend. That was “expected” and crews had been preparing should the fire move closer, NWT Fire said earlier in the day..

At 1:30pm on Monday, the territory’s wildfire agency said a high-volume water suppression system had been set up in the north part of Wrigley “as a precaution.”

Speaking with Cabin Radio that morning, fire information officer Thomas Bentham said heavy machinery was creating a “barrier” at the north end of the community and structure protection continued on homes.

Bentham said the fire grew as close as it had – moving from 12 km north of Wrigley to five kilometres away – because of a combination of strong winds, hot temperatures and dry conditions.

“The majority of the Dehcho has seen some pretty hot and dry conditions for the last few weeks, some variable weather here and there,” said Bentham.

“The conditions were just right over three days, pushing the fire south – closer to the community.”

Firefighters have been responding to FS015 since it was detected at the end of June, but Bentham said weather conditions can make it hard to stop a fire’s growth no matter what is done to prepare.

“The act of suppressing the fire does help slow its growth. But sometimes, when it gets as hot and windy as it did over the last few days, there’s not a whole lot that you can do to slow the fire,” Bentham said.

Bentham said winds on Monday were pushing the fire’s eastern perimeter toward a nearby mountain range. NWT Fire said lower temperatures and less wind had helped firefighting efforts for the day, allowing water drops from aircraft and the prospect of planned ignitions.

“We’re doing everything in our powers to help protect the community and we’re working on it,” said Benthan.

Wrigley has been under an evacuation order since June 29. While Fort Simpson residents, who were also under an evacuation order since June 28, were allowed to return Saturday, a fresh order was issued for Wrigley that morning, urging some support staff and remaining residents to leave.

In an update just after 9am on Monday, Pehdzéh Kı̨ First Nation Chief Jamie Moses told residents to “continue to support one another, reach out if you need any help with your mental health or just any support in general.”