Adam Johnson
Northern News Services
Wednesday, August 1, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - While heavy downpours flooded out downtown buildings and wreaked havoc on roads, the recent wet had an upside: lifting the city-wide fire ban.

After a tinder-dry summer was dampened, the Yellowknife Fire Division stamped out a month-long fire ban in the capital last week.

"Based on the amount of moisture that came in through the city and the forecast, the wild land conditions improved dramatically," said deputy fire chief Chucker Dewar.

He said the fire division bases its bans on recommendations from the territorial government's Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

"When we get calculations from ENR we get them on a daily basis," he said, which the department then uses to decide whether to continue handing out burning permits, or to levy outright burning bans.

Dewar said the ban will likely be lifted at Fred Henne Park, as well. While not directly under the Yellowknife fire division's control, Dewar said the park takes also takes its recommendations from ENR.

But all it takes is another dry spell to bring the ban raging back.

"It takes a considerable amount of dry, hot weather to implement a burning ban," Dewar said.

"If conditions continue to be hot and dry, it could be possible to re-institute the burning ban."

While the general ban has been lifted, Dewar said the permanent ban on burning brush on residential property will continue.

For more information, citizens are welcomed to contact the fire department, or check out the new electronic sign by the fire hall for burning ban updates.