Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Mar 13/02) - Forestry officials are monitoring a small forest fire burning under the snow approximately 30 kilometres east of Yellowknife.

An island on the northeast shore of Jennejohn Lake, described by one person as about the size of a "city building lot," has been burning for at least two and a half months.

"It's not a big one," said Aggie Brockman, who along with her partner, Terry Woolf, first noticed the fire burning over the Christmas holidays. "It's nice that it's on an island."

Jennejohn Lake lies about halfway along a popular canoeing and snowmobiling route between Dettah and Reid Lake.

Brockman said the fire was still burning after paying a visit to the lake in late January.

She believes the fire was started by careless campers.

Lance Schmidt, North Slave manager of forests with Renewable Resources, Wildlife, and Economic Development, said although rare in Canadian Shield country, winter forest fires are not unheard of.

"They can only generally occur when the duff layer is really deep."

The duff layer is the top portion of soil on the ground, mainly composed of decaying organic material.

Winter fires are uncommon in the North because duff layers are typically very thin. The area surrounding the lake has not experienced a forest fire in longer than 60 years, said Schmidt, allowing duff to accumulate.

Schmidt does not believe the fire will pose any significant danger to life or property if left alone. It will likely go out on its own once the spring melt occurs.

Yet, it may pose a threat if anyone were to venture near it.

"If it was me, I wouldn't be walking on that island," said Schmidt.