INUVIK - Extremely dry conditions and lightning strikes have led to 17 fires around the Deh Cho since June 18.

"We've been on a bit of a fire flap since June 18," said Loyal Letcher, manager of forests for the Deh Cho region.

A forest fire approximately 60 km northeast of Fort Liard is one of the fires being monitored in the Deh Cho. The approximately 4.5-hectare fire hasn't been fought because no property of value is at risk. Photo courtesy of Loyal Letcher CarpenterTwiss

Lightning has started all of the recent fires that are spread out across the region, said Letcher.

As of June 26 there were still 16 active fires in the Deh Cho. Seven of the 17 fires were attacked and all were successfully fought, said Letcher. He expected to have them labelled as extinguished by the end of Tuesday.

All of the remaining 10 fires are being monitored but not fought.

"We are letting nature take its course," he said.

Fires that pose a threat to valuables such as communities or cabins are fought, said Letcher. Currently no communities are being threatened by any of the fires.

The closest fire to a community is approximately eight miles east of Wrigley but it is on top of a mountain, said Letcher. Other fires that were close to structures and were fought include some at Martin Hills near Fort Simpson, three near Sambaa Deh Falls Park and one that was approximately 12 miles from Trout Lake.

The fires were fought by eight crews from Fort Liard, Fort Simpson, Trout Lake and Wrigley that are under contract, as well as the government crews. In addition, two crews were employed from Trout Lake and Fort Simpson.

In total there have been 21 fires this summer in the area. The fires have affected a total of 1,335.73 hectares.

"It's been more than we've had in the last few years," said Letcher.

During the entire 2006 fire season there were only 21 fires in the Deh Cho. This number was low compared to the 92 during the 2005 season.

Because the forests in the Deh Cho and the rest of the NWT have been going through an extreme dry spell for the last few months, Letcher is asking people to be careful when they light fires. All campfires need to be completely extinguished and people should report any fires they see, said Letcher.

Rain that fell on June 25 and 26 helped relieve the drought conditions a bit, but a few days of rain are needed to lower the fire risk, Letcher said.