DEH GAH GOT'IE KOE/FORT PROVIDENCE
The Hamlet of Fort Providence was reassuring residents on July 15 who are concerned about nearby forest fires.

Forest fires burning approximately 60 kilometres north of Fort Providence created apocalyptic scenes in the sky near the community on July 14. - photo courtesy of the Fort Providence Volunteer Fire Department

The hamlet put a notice on the local radio station to assure residents that the community is not in a state of emergency and to explain the purpose of a meeting held Tuesday afternoon.

"This is not an emergency planning meeting," said Mayor Tina Gargan.

At the suggestion of the Fort Providence Volunteer Fire Department, the hamlet held a pre-planning meeting that brought together representatives from approximately 10 local organizations including Deh Gah Got'ie First Nation, the health centre and Northland Utilities Ltd. Topics included the resources that are available in the community, like pumps and hoses, in the event the hamlet had to activate its emergency plan, Gargan said.

"We just connected with each other," she said.

A decision was made to clean up the fire guard, which is a break in the forest around the community. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) committed to doing that work, she said.

Gargan said many residents have voiced concerns about the forest fires around the community. A large mushroom-shaped cloud caused by the fires that could been seen from Fort Providence on Monday didn't help.

"I think that just freaked a lot of people out," she said.

Gargan said she believes the radio announcement helped calm the community. The department has volunteered to provide daily updates on the local station about the fire situation.

No one at ENR is thinking about evacuating Fort Providence at this point although there are a number of large forest fires burning around the community, said Ella Stinson, a communications planning specialist with the department.

"They are not close enough that they are threatening," she said.

To the southeast are the fires near Kakisa. The department has fire crews in the area who have made good progress, Stinson said. As of Tuesday the crews were cleaning up hot spots around Kakisa and along the community's access road. They were also containing the southern parts of the fire.

The fires closest to Fort Providence are the three fires near Birch Creek, approximately 60 kilometres north of the hamlet. Those fires cover a combined 1,000 square kilometres and are responsible for the closure of Highway 3 between the hamlet and Behchoko. The fires are being worked on, but could create a lot of smoke in Fort Providence, said Stinson.

There are also two fires to the east of the hamlet including one on Big Island in Great Slave Lake that was caused by an abandoned campfire and one near Falaise Lake. Both of those fires are being monitored.

The department is advising cabin owners in the area to clear brush, trees and woodpiles away from their cabins and invest in a pump and sprinkler system. The department is working on so many fires that the priority is on human life and communities versus empty cabins, Stinson said.

The extreme fire conditions in the Fort Providence area are not expected to improve over the next few weeks, she said.