Six new wildfires burning near Yellowknife
After slow start to forest fire season, hot weather sparks new blazes across North Slave region
John McFadden
Northern News Services
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The forest fire season in the Yellowknife area and the North Slave continues to be relatively tame compared to the last two summers but it is starting to heat up.
At least seven new fires were reported over the past two days, six of them within 50 kilometres of the city and all are believed to have started by lightning. According to forecasters, Yellowknife may see significantly smoky air today for the first time this year.
One of the new fires is about 30 kilometres to the east, between the Ingraham Trail and Jennejohn Lake. It was about 100 square metres in size as of yesterday. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) said it had been fought with ground crews and water bombers and was considered under control.
Richard Olsen, manager of fire operations for ENR said yesterday no cabins or any other structures were threatened by that fire.
"But within close proximity there are lakes that have a lot of cabins," Olsen said. "But given the fire's location, south of the Ingraham Trail, there's potential fire growth and a lot of values up in that area."
The fire is being fought with water bombers, helicopters and ground crews.
There are also three new fires now burning near the Bluefish Hydro Dam, about 25 kilometres from Yellowknife, not far from the north end of Prosperous Lake, off the Ingraham Trail. One of those fires has reached half a square kilometre in size and is considered out of control although crews are getting a handle on it, Olsen said. The other two are smaller fires and are considered under control but one of them is only a kilometre from the dam itself, according to Olsen.
Another new fire is burning about 10 kilometres south of the Snare hydro dam, about 65 kilometres north of Behchoko. It has reached about 100,000 square metres in size.
"It was originally attacked but due to the fires closer to Yellowknife ... we pulled off of that one," Olsen said. "We are now doing further assessment for value protections around the Snare hydro dam."
He said no transmission lines at either hydro plant have been burned that he is aware of.
Pam Coulter, spokesperson for the NWT Power Corporation (NTPC), which owns and operates the two power sites, stated in an e-mail yesterday that the situation is being monitored but no action is being taken right now. Workers remain at both sites where they live when on shift but neither they nor the facilities are in danger, Coulter said.
Another fire is burning near Bliss Lake, about 35 kilometres northeast of Yellowknife. It has consumed about 100,000 square metres. It is being fought by ground crews, helicopters and air tankers. It is not believed to be threatening any cabins. There is also a fire on a small island on Defeat Lake, about 40 kilometres southeast of Yellowknife. Crews are monitoring it to make sure it does not spread to the mainland, Olsen said.
About 50 firefighters are on the ground fighting these latest fires near Yellowknife, along with several helicopters, water bombers and spotter planes.
Olsen said that there are a couple of reasons that the fire season, so far at least, has been nowhere near as severe as the previous two summers.
"In addition to any lightning we have seen there has been a significant amount of rain associated with it. That does tend to prevent the fires from moving and sometimes they will just smolder themselves out," Olsen said.
It was also a slightly cooler, damper spring than normal.
Olsen said however that they are still seeing person-caused fires, including one on Madeline Lake in mid-May which forced several people from their homes and cabins. The cause has come back as inconclusive but evidence supported that it was human-caused.
Specific year-over-year fire statistics are not kept for the North Slave Region but Olsen said there have been 75 wildland fires so far this year across the NWT, burning an estimated 245 square kilometres. Last year at this time we had experienced 181 fires that had consumed almost 2,400 square kilometres. Essentially, we have had half the number of fires as we did at this time last year and have lost only a tenth as much forest.
The 75 fires this year in the NWT is also slightly below the 20-year average of 87, but Olsen warned that the territory is now moving into peak forest fire season.
Indeed a fire ban is in place in the City of Yellowknife. That includes Fred Henne Territorial Park and the Yellowknife River Day Use Area. Small camp stoves and enclosed barbecues are permitted but bonfires are not allowed until further notice.
