Yellowknife (July 16/03) - Four forest fires kept Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development (RWED) busy last weekend.

There was a small fire on Friday and three more Sunday evening.

One was still burning 113 kilometres east of Yellowknife Monday but was expected to be put out Tuesday afternoon.

Crews were working on the hot spots. The fire was put under control by two tankers and two crews but not before it burned 12 hectares. Great Slave Helicopters, who spotted the fire 16 kilometres from Plummer's Lodge at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, notified RWED.

"It's a prime caribou harvesting area," said Danny Beaulieu, a forest officer and that weekend's regional duty officer.

"It's a piece of big country and that (especially) made it a priority to fight it."

While the aircraft Bird Dog 2 was guiding the two CL-215 water bombers, it spotted two more fires.

One was at a nearby location but had only burned one hectare.

Another fire was located 81 kilometres east of Yellowknife; it burned two hectares.

Both were stopped and cleared out, as was a fire on Friday.

Smouldering for 15 hours before it was discovered, Friday's fire was located 24 kilometres northwest of the capital, near a power line.

Due to the humidity, the fire was "burning slow," Beaulieu said. "It sits dormant until winds pick it up."

All four forest fires were caused by dry lightening.