Owner of lodge on N.W.T.'s Watta Lake worries about fire burning 4 kms away

The owner of Watta Lake Lodge in the N.W.T. says she is very worried about a wildfire burning about four kilometres from her cabin. 

N.W.T. Fire has said that high winds and dry conditions have caused the fire to grow significantly in recent days and that the fire, about 80 kilometres southeast of Yellowknife, could reach properties on Watta Lake within days. In a Facebook post Thursday night, the agency wrote that fire crews were "being pulled back from a direct attack" because a wildfire east of Watta Lake had become too intense due to strong winds. 

Yvonne Quick, 95, lives in Yellowknife and has owned Watta Lake Lodge since 1981. 

"That four [kilometres] can be covered in pretty short order and that concerns me," she said.  

The lodge, which served as a holiday spot for locals and people from out of town, including from the U.S., hasn't been open for the last eight years. Quick was hoping to reopen the lodge next year and had been renovating the building in preparation. 

In June, a metal roof was installed and the workshop expanded to make room for more storage and to create a larger work area. The building has been used both as a fishing lodge and as an outfitting lodge, Quick said.

While Quick feels there is little she can do to save the lodge from impending wildfires, she trusts that fire crews are doing the best they can to mitigate the fire and the damage.  

"I think that the fire people are doing a marvelous job. I mean they're keeping us informed," she said. "I had arranged to go out yesterday and they said, 'No — you do not go out. We'll look after it.' So they're doing a great job." 

Weather conditions aren't expected to provide relief from the fires anytime soon. Temperatures this week are supposed to hold around the low-to-mid 20s C, with little rain for respite, said Brian Proctor, a meteorologist with Environment Canada. This could result in "adverse behaviour upon fire systems and fire services."

In addition, strong winds are expected on Saturday and Monday, he said.

"The continued dryness, the warming up and the stronger winds getting onto the landscape, are all going to combine to make more difficult conditions when you try to deal with these fires moving forward," Proctor said. 

If all goes well, Quick hopes to reopen the Watta Lake Lodge next June. The lodge, she said, has "had an active life and I hope it continues to have one."