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DEH CHO
Two forest fires on either side of Sambaa Deh Falls Territorial Park are continuing to cause disruptions in the Deh Cho.

Kris Johnson, left, manager of fire science with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources walks along the Trout River beside Sambaa Deh Falls Territorial Park on July 25. On that day, the forest fire south of the park created a convection cloud as it burned across Hwy 1. - photo courtesy of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources

The park was closed on July 19 and was still closed as of July 30 due to the fires, one of which is less than one kilometre from the facility.

With the August long weekend approaching, the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment was planning to reassess the closure on July 31, said Alayna Ward, the department's manager of public affairs and communications.

The department has signs at the Deh Cho Bridge and at the 60th Parallel Visitor Information Centre along with notices on the park's booking website alerting tourists and residents to the park's closure. Only two advance bookings had to be cancelled and that took place during the first weekend of the closure, said Ward.

"People are well advised that it's been closed due to fire," she said.

The fire has also been causing disruptions to transportation. Smoke from the fire north of the park led to the temporary closure of Highway 1, between its junctions with highways 3 and 7, on July 16. The fires also forced the closure of the highway on July 25 and again on July 27. The highway was reopened on July 28 after its most recent closure with escort vehicles moving the traffic through the problem area.

Motorists can expect possible delays through the fire zone and should check the Department of Transportation's website before travelling, said Earl Blacklock, the department's manager of public affairs and communications.

The fire south of the park, the more problematic of the two, had grown to 53,000 hectares as of July 30. At its closest point, the fire is less than one kilometre from the park.

The fire is being allowed to burn while "values at risk" are being protected, said Carl Lafferty, the regional superintendent with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Those values include the territorial park buildings, the Trout River gorge viewing platform and cabins at Notana Lake and in the Trout River area.

Some of the green fuel around the viewing platform was burned to help protect it along with some fuel south of the park.

"We just don't want to have that park threatened anymore," Lafferty said.

On July 22, three bulldozers were being used to create a containment line on the fire's western flank. If wind conditions improved, the department was planning to burn some fuel near the highway to help prevent the fire relighting in that area. Approximately 35 people are working on the fire.

Lafferty said there haven't been many forest fires in the area around the park in recent years. This fire will help to create long-term protection for the facilities from future forest fires and will also lead to forest renewal, he said.

The fire north of the park, which covers approximately 3,700 hectares, calmed down as a result of receiving rain over the weekend. The fire was still smoldering along the highway, Lafferty said.

Lafferty cautioned motorists to obey the barriers that are put up when the highway is closed as a result of the fires and to not drive through unescorted. They could be putting themselves and the department's staff at risk, he said.

Apart from the fires near the park, the forest fire situation in the region has calmed down somewhat, said Lafferty.

As of July 30, the firefighting crews and their equipment that had been working on the fire outside of Wrigley were being demobilized.

The western flank of the fire had been secured and the eastern side was being monitored.

No new fires had started in the region since early last week.

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