The government is actively combatting three wildfires in the Northwest Territories, attributing two of them to human activity. One human-caused wildfire in the South Slave region has been contained, covering an area of approximately 0.0001 square kilometers, equivalent to the size of a large house, which ignited on Monday. The Environment and Climate Change website characterizes this wildfire as an “escaped campfire.”
Another fire, measuring around 0.05 square kilometers, has been identified as an overwintering fire that started on May 9 in the South Slave region. Overwinter fires are those that lay dormant or undetected for an extended period after ignition. This specific overwinter fire was detected using infrared scanning along the perimeter of the Fort Providence wildfire from the previous year. Firefighters are employing infrared scanning to locate hotspots and utilizing heavy equipment to eliminate any remaining heat.
In the North Slave region, the government is tackling an “out-of-control” wildfire covering 0.001 square kilometers, similar in size to a Canadian Football League end zone, which was sparked by human activity on Saturday. Authorities had previously cautioned that this year’s wildfire season might be challenging due to persistent drought conditions in certain areas of the territory.
Despite these fires, there are currently no imminent threats to Fort Providence, cabins, or infrastructure. The firefighting efforts are ongoing to contain and extinguish the wildfires as the region braces for a potentially difficult wildfire season.