'Scary as well as sad': N.W.T. lodge owner fights wildfire nearing property

As a wildfire grows closer to a popular lodge northeast of Yellowknife, its owners have been doing all they can to protect the property. 

Gordon Eric Gin, co-owner of the Yellow Dog Lodge on Duncan Lake, said that with a backburn the fire came within 30 metres from the backdoor.

There have been other flare-ups near the property that he has also been fighting. 

"It's just one of those things. You just have to take a pump, a high pressure pump, and go after it. We had the safety gear in place," he said. "And you just get after it and get it done. You don't think, you just do it."

He said he's never seen a fire this close to the lodge. 

"It was kind of scary as well as sad because we could see the landscape changing in front of us and as stewards of the land, it's very sad to see that happen," Gin said. 

The incident was first reported by Cabin Radio. 

Gin said firefighters with the territorial government have been visiting the lodge almost daily and they may use it as a base of operations to fight the fire that's grown to 24,000 hectares. 

The territorial government website says a crew and a helicopter have been attending the fire and tankers are heading in to help slow the progression of the fire.

Gin said he can't see more than 50 metres in front due to the smoke, adding it's the smokiest he's seen it since 2014. 

"It's tough to be outside. So I've asked them [the staff] to stay inside most of the day," he said. 

Gin said they have needed to cancel bookings because it isn't safe for guests to be there during the fires. 

"We had a big weekend planned for local people from Yellowknife. But we had to cancel that and for safety reasons, for obvious safety reasons," he said.

"And we've had to cancel all our guests this week. And yeah, we're going to take a hit there, a big hit in revenue."

He said they have an evacuation plan in place if the fire gets more dangerous. It includes taking a boat to a safe area and using an inReach device to contact the charter pilot who they're regularly in touch with. 

He is at the lodge with his wife and co-owner Kathy Gin.