Latest news with #NWTFire
Hamilton Spectator
4 days ago
- Climate
- Hamilton Spectator
Wildfire south of Sambaa K'e grows 2,300 hectares over weekend
A wildfire 30 kilometres south of Sambaa k'e expanded from 500 hectares to 2,800 over the weekend, according to the June 2 update from NWT Fire. The update was released shortly before 5 p.m. The wildfire FS002-25 is out of control but not considered a danger currently. 'Crews are setting up sprinklers on cabins which may be threatened,' said wildfire information officer Thomas Bentham. 'There is no threat to the community of Sambaa K'e at this time.' Another wildfire, 13 kilometres west of Highway 1, more than doubled in size. Wildfire SS008-25 grew from 4,836 hectares on Friday to an estimated 11,358 hectares today. Bentham said the wide-ranging fire was not a threat to people or property but smoke may impact drivers on the highway. Near Fort Smith, SS007-25 has grown slightly since Friday. It's now 325 hectares from 295 last week. A fire along the B.C. border, FS003-25, has grown to 250 hectares from 15 hectares on May 29. However, a second fire along the B.C. is close to being under control. A second fire which sprouted up 27 km southwest of Fort Simpson was attacked and is now declared out. One new fire in the North Slave region is currently being attacked by crews. ZF005-25 is 11 hectares in size and not considered a threat right now. Fire crews on both sides of the NWT-Alberta border are gathering resources to deal with SS009-25, which entered the NWT about 28 kilometres east of Fort Smith. The 6,545 hectare wildfire is showing increasing activity and crews are preparing structural protection on either side of the blaze. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
CBC
02-06-2025
- Climate
- CBC
2 cabins burned in wildfire near Fort Smith
Two cabins near Fort Smith, N.W.T., have burned in a wildfire that originated in Alberta, according to a news release Sunday from N.W.T. Fire. One was lost despite crews setting up sprinklers to protect structures in the area. Crews weren't able to do structure protection work for the second cabin due to poor visibility. The two cabins were in different areas, though N.W.T. Fire didn't specify where they were. N.W.T. Fire said they have notified the owners. "It is always unfortunate when structures are lost," wildfire information officer Thomas Bentham said in the wildfire update Sunday. "These threats are a reality in wildland areas." Bentham wrote that structure protection work saved several other cabins over the weekend. The fire covers about 65 square kilometres and is about 28 kilometres east of Fort Smith in the Schaefer Lake area. There were two other fires burning in the South Slave as of Sunday afternoon's update — one about 24 kilometres from Fort Smith along the Slave River, and one by Cameron Hills, about 13 kilometres west of Hwy 1. Five fires were burning in the Dehcho —one about 30 kilometres southwest of Sambaa K'e, one 74 kilometres from Fort Liard and one fire about 27 kilometres southwest of Fort Simpson. Bentham said those fires don't pose a risk to the communities. Two other fires burn just north of the B.C. border.
CBC
12-05-2025
- Climate
- CBC
'Normal' fire activity for now, says N.W.T. Fire, but danger could ramp up in July
Social Sharing The Northwest Territories could see a lot of fire activity later this summer. On Monday afternoon, N.W.T. Fire briefed reporters on the forecast for the coming fire season. Richard Olsen, the manager of fire operations for the territorial government, said fire behaviour modelling from Natural Resources Canada shows "normal" fire activity is anticipated in the territory until the end of June — but things could ramp up after that. "As we do get into July and August, we are expected to see potentially an above-average type of conditions," he told reporters. In some parts of the territory, modelling shows fire risk could be "well above average," he added. Drought conditions continue Olsen said when you look at the relative moisture of soil here, a large part of the N.W.T. is still experiencing "severe drought" compared to the rest of Canada. Going into last winter, the Dehcho region, the regions south and west of Great Slave Lake, and the southern Sahtu were all experiencing drought, and there wasn't enough precipitation this winter to change that. "In large portions of the N.W.T., we are starting to get into normal or slightly below normal snowfalls," he said. "But generally nothing that's seen as a significant dump of snow that really looked to make a large change and impact on the forest floor … in terms of how deep and severe some of these fires might burn." Because of this, Olsen said, they are anticipating that they are starting the fire season with drought conditions around Great Slave Lake, the Dehcho and the southern Sahtu region. Olsen said the territory is also expected to see above-average temperatures this summer in June, July and August — another factor that would support fire growth. N.W.T. Fire preparing for fires Olsen said despite the tough fire conditions, he is feeling good about the upcoming fire season. Olsen said the territory has brought on additional helicopters and tankers to fight fires this year, thanks to funding from the federal government. They are currently planning to have 34 fire crews in total this summer, all with either four or five people. He said all but a couple of those crews have finished their training, and tankers and helicopters will start to join the firefighting teams gradually throughout the month. Olsen said N.W.T. Fire has begun implementing recommendations that came out of the review of the 2023 fire season and after-action reviews looking at specific fires, especially around communication and co-ordination with communities. He said crews in the Dehcho and South Slave are fully operational, and N.W.T. Fire is flying over overwintering fires to identify and action hotspots.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Fort Smith, N.W.T., issues wildfire evacuation alert over fire burning on east end
The Town of Fort Smith, N.W.T., has issued a wildfire evacuation alert as a four-hectare fire burns on the east end of town. An emergency alert went out publicly to phones just before 6 p.m. Saturday. An evacuation alert does not mean people have to leave the town at this time. However, they should get ready in case the alert is upgraded to an order. In an email on Saturday, N.W.T. Fire wrote that the wildfire is around four hectares in size and burning near Primrose and Carl Drive. N.W.T. Fire said it is suspected to be person-caused. It said multiple fire crews from Fort Smith and the N.W.T. government are "aggressively" attacking the fire, with two helicopters dropping water on it and two bulldozers working to contain it. Crews are also putting up structure protection to protect nearby homes. "Smoke is highly visible in town. Please avoid the area, allow emergency services staff the space to do their work, and listen to any directions or signage on the ground," N.W.T. Fire wrote.
CBC
11-05-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Fort Smith, N.W.T., issues wildfire evacuation alert over fire burning on east end
The Town of Fort Smith, N.W.T., has issued a wildfire evacuation alert as a four-hectare fire burns on the east end of town. An emergency alert went out publicly to phones just before 6 p.m. Saturday. An evacuation alert does not mean people have to leave the town at this time. However, they should get ready in case the alert is upgraded to an order. In an email on Saturday, N.W.T. Fire wrote that the wildfire is around four hectares in size and burning near Primrose and Carl Drive. N.W.T. Fire said it is suspected to be person-caused. It said multiple fire crews from Fort Smith and the N.W.T. government are "aggressively" attacking the fire, with two helicopters dropping water on it and two bulldozers working to contain it. Crews are also putting up structure protection to protect nearby homes. "Smoke is highly visible in town. Please avoid the area, allow emergency services staff the space to do their work, and listen to any directions or signage on the ground," N.W.T. Fire wrote.
