First NWT wildfire of season suspected to be human-caused

The NWT’s first wildfire of 2020 was reported on the edge of Hay River on Sunday, where the fire danger is currently sitting at a medium risk level.

The fire has already been declared out. It affected less than one hectare.

The territorial government’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources said in a Facebook post it suspects the fire was caused by humans, but that remains under investigation.

At the beginning of the 2020 fire season, the department announced a goal of zero human-caused fires for the season.

The territory has a range of additional measures in place to protect staff and communities from Covid-19, meaning every fire this summer is likely to be more costly than usual to fight.

There have so far been no reported fires in Wood Buffalo National Park this year.