Yellowknife (July 14/06) - Wildfires are a major problem in B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan this season.

That's why 77 forest management personnel and fire crew members from the NWT have made their way south to help out last week.

Forest management resource officer Roger Fraser is in Saskatchewan helping provincial forest fire fighters. - Jessica Gray/NNSL photo

Most of the people, including 12 five-person fire crews, are in Alberta.

Three people were sent from the North Slave region, including resource officer Roger Fraser who is stationed in Yellowknife, and is now in Saskatchewan.

David Hahn, the territorial duty officer, said rainy weather has made fighting the wildfires in northwestern Saskatchewan much easier to handle.

"In the last little while they've had a lot of rain," said Hahn. "They're in the mop-up stage."

Fraser, who is as he speaks, on the ground near Beauval, Sask., said the NWt is playing an important in relieving the provincial fire crews.

"They're really tired. We let them rest up," said Fraser.

Crews are using infra-red scanners to look for "hot spots" - places where fires are still smouldering and could spark new forest or brush fires.

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Though the North Slave region and Yellowknife have experienced some wet weather this week, Lance Schmidt, manager of forests in the North Slave region, said the fire alert will probably change over the weekend.

"It's a smattering of rain, it won't really add up to a whole lot," said Schmidt.

"By Friday or Saturday, it could quite easily go back up to high," he said.

The weather predictions for next week show warmer patterns by the mid-point of next week, said Schmidt.

The fire crews in Yellowknife and the North Slave region will be on alert, watching for warmer temperatures.

So far, there have been 48 fire in the NWT, most occurring in the South Slave region.

Twelve are active now, with seven considered out of control according to the forest management website.

Some areas are on high alert because of warm and dry weather in Inuvik and the Sahtu region, said Schmidt.