Thunderstorms roll through Deh Cho
Rain alleviates concerns of lightning after tough week
April Hudson
Northern News Services
Thursday, July 7, 2016
DEH CHO
Thunderstorms crashing across the Deh Cho have brought with them significant precipitation, according to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Dark clouds roll across the horizon over the bulk fuel plant in Fort Simpson. - photo courtesy of Stella Nadia
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Over the past week, the Deh Cho has experienced a series of storms that include rain, lightning and thunder.
"What we're expecting as that system moves through is temperatures will drop about three to five degrees from where they have been," said Richard Olsen, the department's manager for fire operations.
"Lightning's always a concern for potential (fire) starts, (but) we've been hearing back that the precipitation that's come with the lightning has been fairly heavy in those clouds, so that reduces the potential for new starts."
That information came during the territory's weekly fire update, at which point Olsen said the amount of fires burning in the territory had nearly doubled over the past week.
Between June 27 and July 4, Olsen said 30 new fires began, bringing the total of fires in the territory to 62. Those fires have burned approximately 24.5 square kilometres, cumulatively.
"We're moving into the peak of ignition and burning season, so we're starting to see more and more fires increase on the landscape," Olsen said.
Out of the new fires, nearly half are in the South Slave region, which includes Fort Providence and Kakisa. In a follow-up e-mail after the fire call, department spokesperson Judy McLinton stated 14 new wildland fires began in the South Slave in the past week. Six of those started over the weekend.
That brings the total number of fires in the South Slave to 22, while 27 have started in the Deh Cho.
Those two regions are also responsible for the majority of burned areas so far, with the Deh Cho sitting at 14.9 square kilometres burned as of July 5. In the South Slave, just over eight square kilometres have burned.
Value protection continues for Wrigley fire
For the past couple weeks, the largest fire in the territory has been burning north of Wrigley. Last estimated at 14 square kilometres in size, the fire is threatening structures at Blackwater Lake.
Last week, the department said that fire is being monitored.
On July 4, Olsen said the department is currently doing value protection on site, although they are not doing any action on the fire itself.
As for a fire burning eight kilometres out of Fort Liard, Olsen said crews are doing initial attack.
"(That fire) is being held. It's not expected to be an issue and we expect that to be under control and called out shortly," he said.
