Fires around Yellowknife to flare up until snowfall: N.W.T. minister
Fire may also hibernate during the winter and reignite in the spring
Residents making plans to head back to Yellowknife, Dettah and Ndilǫ this week can expect to see fires in the area flare up in the coming weeks, says the N.W.T.'s minister of environment and climate change.
The fire between Yellowknife and Behchokǫ̀, as well as the one along the Ingraham Trail, are being held, according to N.W.T. Fire. That means they are no longer considered to be out of control, but they aren't completely under control either.
Speaking with CBC News Network on Monday morning, Minister Shane Thompson said there had been more than 220 hot spots on the fire between Yellowknife and Behchokǫ̀, and 160 on the Ingraham Trail fire.
He said those those fires will continue to flare up "until probably the first snowfall." He added that it might flare up again sometime in the springtime, after hibernating through the winter — referencing the way fire can burn deep in the ground, even when it's well below freezing above the ground.
Rain brings relief in Hay River
N.W.T. Fire said Sunday evening that over the course of 24 hours, 25 millimetres of rain had fallen in Hay River. The rain and favourable winds were expected to reduce the fire risk in the community in the coming days — but conditions are expected to become more challenging throughout the week.
In updates over the weekend, the agency said the wildfire had reached within 500 metres of the community's health centre and industrial area across downtown.
No more rain is expected in the forecast, and hot, clear, dry conditions would return later in the week, including unseasonably high temperatures by the end of the week.
"This fire can flare up and cause further growth and potential damage if the right steps are not taken to secure
the area," reads an update from N.W.T. Fire shared at 2 pm. on Monday.
The situation in Fort Smith
Further south, the area near Fort Smith saw between two and six millimetres of rain on Sunday, according to an update from Wood Buffalo National Park shared around noon Monday.
Adam McNab, the director of protective services for Fort Smith, said the rain varied greatly — some places saw one to three millimetres or none at all, while other areas saw more than 20 millimetres of rain overnight.
"We're seeing pretty minimal fire activity thanks to some rain systems that moved through the area and some increased relative humidity," said McNab. "But we are now seeing some blues skies so temperatures are rising, it's starting to dry up and we are seeing some wind at the moment."
McNab said the rain "definitely" suppressed the fire's growth, but conditions in the coming days could become more challenging.
"We are expecting some cooler trends for the next couple of days with some more spotty precipitation, which will definitely help. But there is the chance for temps to rise again above seasonal averages, which could be a bit of a challenge on the fire line with the hotspots that are still out there."
Wood Buffalo National Park's update says several consecutive days of rain would be needed to have a significant impact on the massive wildfire burning in extreme drought conditions.
Officials say the drought conditions have led to the fire burning "deep in the ground."
On Monday, crews started building a control line near Grand de tour Road to connect to the Slave River.
The return to Yellowknife
Essential personnel are expected to be arriving in Yellowknife, Dettah and Ndilǫ on Monday and Tuesday, in advance of the general public being allowed to re-enter as of noon on Wednesday.
The phased re-entry is a massive logistical undertaking, with residents choosing either to return on flights organized by the territorial government or by vehicle. The territory is also cautioning people to think twice about coming back right away, because it'll take days and, in some cases, weeks to get services back up and running again.
We have compiled and are updating this Q&A page to help people make decisions about when and how to return, and we'll be updating it. You can send your questions to webnorth@cbc.ca
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