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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - The summer forecast contains the ingredients for a hazardous forest fire season.

Early indicators point to "a higher likelihood that there will be fires and more likely they will cause trouble," said David Hahn, acting fire control officer at the Territorial Forest Fire Centre in Fort Smith.

A forest fire last July burns north of Highway 5, approximately 90 km east of Hay River. - Photo by Paul Bickford/NNSL

Hahn said Environment Canada is predicting above normal temperatures through June, July and August, as well as below normal precipitation.

However, he said weather does not necessarily predict fire levels, and currently the territory is in "good shape."

"Our spring seems to be a little slower coming on," said Hahn. "The bulk of our fires in the NWT come from lightning," he said. "About 10 per cent is from people."

Currently there is a forest fire in Wood Buffalo National Park, east of Claire Lake in northeastern Alberta. It is roughly 14,500 hectares in size.

Hahn said fires are a naturally occurring thing and part of "a natural renewal process." He said not all are fought, especially since it is not financially feasible to do so. If there are homes or things of value in the area of the fire, measures will be taken to protect them .

Hahn also warned residents to be careful with dry grass and moss, as they are easily flammable and will spread fire quickly.

Areas that tend to have black spruce are easily burned, but in the NWT, "we can pretty much have fire pretty much anywhere," he said.

By the start of August, 2008 there had been 154 forest fires in the NWT and more than 192,921 hectares of land burned.