Wildfire risk high in N.W.T. this weekend, with 'really hot, really dry' conditions

Sarah Krymalowski · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 20, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

Fire information crossed overmuch of the Northwest Territories volition beryllium precocious oregon utmost over the upcoming agelong weekend, according to officials.

Wildfire accusation serviceman Thomas Bentham says conditions successful the North Slave, South Slave and Dehcho regions of N.W.T. are expected to beryllium "really hot, truly dry" implicit the Indigenous Peoples Day agelong weekend.

Bentham said adust conditions are besides expected successful the Sahtu and Beaufort Delta, though temperatures determination volition beryllium cooler.

The upwind means that immoderate fires that commencement connected the onshore tin turn highly easily, expanding the hazard of some lightning-caused and person-caused wildfires, helium said.

"Our biggest interest going into immoderate agelong play is abandoned fires, fires that are not decently enactment out," Bentham said.

He urges anyone who is connected the onshore this play to soak and disturbance their campfires aggregate times to guarantee they're out.

"Do not permission 1 ember down that is red," helium said.

Bentham said occurrence officials are besides expecting immoderate lightning successful eastbound N.W.T. and successful the Dehcho implicit the agelong weekend, but crews volition beryllium monitoring for fires and volition respond to any fires they spot adjacent to communities.

Bentham said that with nary rainfall expected successful N.W.T. until the extremity of June, occurrence information is expected to proceed into adjacent week.

Fires of note

Bentham said determination are a fewer caller "fires of note" successful the territory this week, each of which are successful the Dehcho region.

One is FS009, a lightning-caused occurrence astir 38 kilometres from Fort Simpson. 

The fire, which was archetypal spotted connected Tuesday, was past measured astatine 500 hectares. It's presently being fought by tankers, crushed crews, and aerial support.

Bentham said crews are besides responding to fire FS010-25, located 25 kilometres eastbound of Fort Simpson and northbound of Jean Marie River. That occurrence is inactive little than 1 hectare successful size, Bentham said.

"The h2o tankers person been hammering it beauteous hard and we expect it to fizzle out, hopefully," helium said, adding that the occurrence is not currently considered a information to Jean Marie River oregon Fort Simpson.

Bentham said occurrence crews are also responding to occurrence FS008, which is 50 kilometres northeast of Wrigley. That occurrence was past measured astatine 1,488 hectares, and is not presently considered a information to immoderate structures adjacent Wrigley, Bentham said.