Rain to quench Fort Liard wildfire, still none in North Slave

Officials say they are no longer concerned by a wildfire south of Fort Liard as a band of rain sweeps into the region.

Fort Liard is under an Environment Canada rainfall warning and fire crews are being removed from the scene as the rain rolls in.

Lindberg Landing, north of Fort Liard, had reported more than five centimetres of rain by Monday mid-morning. Environment Canada forecasts up to 20 cm of rain for the area by Thursday in what it termed “a long episode of rain, at times heavy.”

Last week the forest fire, which began around 20 km to the south-east of the hamlet, was threatening the nearby Highway 7 and being monitored by the Department of Infrastructure.

Rain showers are expected through until Saturday, at which point the local fire crew will assess the fire’s remnants.

So far, there have been 16 wildfires recorded in the Northwest Territories this season.

“It’s pretty quiet. We’re about at average right now, maybe a little quieter than average,” said Amber Simpson, wildfire prevention coordinator at the territory’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Eleven of the fires have been in the Dehcho, while there are still no recorded fires in the North Slave – despite a large lightning storm over the area last weekend.

A wildfire north-west of Fort Simpson continues to burn but is “getting a lot of rain,” said Simpson, and will be monitored for the time being.

Three other Dehcho wildfires were all declared out yesterday. The department expects two wildfires in the Sahtu will also be declared out today.

The only fire in the South Slave, which is far to the south-west of Kakisa and nowhere near any communities, will be assessed once the rain stops.