Rain delays an already slow season
Derek Neary
Northern News Services
Fort Simpson (Jun 01/01) - Forest fire crews have been deployed in Deh Cho communities, but they likely won't have any fires to fight for a while yet.
A 22-millimetre downpour on Sunday set back the forest fire risk index from high to low, according to Daniel Allaire, forest technician with RWED in Fort Simpson.
"This weather system is supposed to stick around for a few more days," he said Monday. "It's going to put a damper on our fire season, but it's still early."
Crews in Fort Simpson and Fort Liard reported for work on May 22. The Trout Lake and Wrigley corps began preparing on Monday.
Generally, mid-June is when forest fires begin to spark, Allaire noted. The water tables are fairly low, too, he said. Northern Alberta, the source of the water in many of the NWT's rivers, is in the midst of a drought, and 38 fires were burning in the province as of Tuesday.
Allaire, who has been working in forestry for 23 years, is predicting an average to above-average fire season in the Deh Cho.
"We'll get our fair share of fires, but it's a couple of weeks late this year," he said. "We've had such quiet years over the past few years."
An typical year brings 60 to 70 fires, he said. Last year there were only 35 fires reported in the region.
